


do you take your time (and do you feel like you're dying?)

by C1ashi1dr



Series: w!master au [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Falling In Love, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Meddling TARDIS, Minor Violence, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C1ashi1dr/pseuds/C1ashi1dr
Summary: She's got something in her hands but Yaz can't tell what it is, she's too busy staring at the cuff on her ear. She hadn't noticed the woman had her ears pierced. "I was actually hoping to run into you again. I've got a proposition for you. Something very important, I might add. Could change everything for you."  She smirks. "You see Yasmin, I'm a traveler. Been all around the known universe, seen some of the best sights of the universe and I were wondering-""Are you...are you going to ask me to travel with you?" Yaz asks and the she nods slowly, that smirk never leaving. "You barely know me""I'm a great judge of character," the Master replies.orYaz meets the Master and travels with her instead.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Series: w!master au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125830
Comments: 11
Kudos: 65





	1. i think the devil made me do it baby

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt that i got on tumblr from the wonderful [@rocker-by-heart](https://rocker-by-heart.tumblr.com/) that quickly spiralled out of control so now there's another w!master fic out in the universe.
> 
> not me coming back from an almost 3 month hiatus to dump more w!master on the thasmin population

Yasmin Khan sits in the front seat of the squad car, chin propped on her palm as she stares out over Sheffield. Things should have been going differently. And maybe it's the halfway over night shift bringing down her mood or maybe it's the stretch of night shifts before them, each more boring than the last, but Yaz hasn't felt this unsettled and discontent since she was in school. 

Nothing interesting ever happens on night shifts.

It's late in Sheffield and the only people still awake are the unlucky few like her and the overindulgent few that she usually has to deal with. The call that crackles through the radio is surprising, a few drunks brawling at a pub on the outskirts of the city but Yaz is grateful for any opportunity to get moving away from her spot on the overlook. Even the beauty of the city at night has become dull and Yaz tries to shake off her mood as she pulls out onto the road and makes her way towards the pub. It's one she's familiar with at least, making at least one visit every few weeks to break up a drunken brawl or any of the other issues the pub seems to always have. 

She can see the commotion when she parks the car, and the smell of stale beer and cigarettes washes over her almost immediately. The small comfort it gives her is almost more unbearable than the smell itself. She doesn't even have to enter the pub, however, as the two troublemakers come tumbling through the entrance, entered in a grapple. 

Yaz can't tell what they're yelling about, scuffling about like they are, but she squares her shoulders, takes a deep breath. 

"Alright you two," she says, adopting the sternest tone she can as she approaches, stopping a few metres away so she's not in range of either of them. One breaks from the grapple, his lip bloody and already starting to bruise and he glances over at her, looking her over. "Are you going to walk off whatever disagreement you've had or am I going to have to bring you both into the station?"

"You couldn't take us in if you tried," one of the men says and the other spits on the ground, rubbing at his busted lip with a hand. "Let us work this out, love."

"Sir, I don't advise resuming any action at this moment," Yaz says, wishing she could roll her eyes. Reaching for the radio on her vest, she throws in a request for backup before planting herself firmly between the two men, making it clear she's not going to move. "Now if both of you could calm down for a moment-"

"'e started it," one of the men says, clearly the more drunk of the two. There's a bump starting to form on his head and the beginning of a black eye and Yaz sighs quietly. 

"I'll be taking statements in a moment, if you'll both please calm down," Yaz says and she barely dodges another punch thrown her way. She stumbles back, glaring at the drunk man as he takes a step forward.

"'m not gonna calm down," he slurs and Yaz barely avoids another hit thrown her way. She's not so lucky the third time, the man's fist catching her shoulder as she tries to move out of the way. Yaz stumbles back, unbalanced and barely manages to catch herself on a bench outside the pub.

He stares at her briefly before turning on his heels and fleeing into the night. Yaz pushes off the bench and is about to give chase when another police car pulls across the entrance, blocking the man from leaving as one of her coworkers (Yaz can't see which at the moment) gets out and restrains him. The other man is staring at her, and he glances across to where the other police officer stands.

Yaz watches him for a few more moments before leading him to her squad car, grimacing at the smell of beer all around him. She's never been more glad to not drink and, when she gets the ultimately more cooperative man into her car and the door closed behind him, she glances up at the other officer.

"I'll get the statements," Yaz says. "You should probably get that one back to the station before he finds a way to wiggle out of his cuffs and get away."

"Of course, Khan," the officer says and soon the other car is driving off while Yaz strolls into the pub.

Yaz is speaking to the bartender when she first spots her, a flash of blonde among the dim light of the bar. When Yaz turns to look, she sees the woman looking directly at her, a strange look in hazel eyes. There's a moment where Yaz is sure the woman is going to approach her and Yaz might get a chance to investigate but then a person crosses her eyeline and the next moment the woman is gone. 

It's strange, but she shakes it off, chalks it up to lack of sleep and a general strange feeling surrounding this whole evening. Once she's got a few more statements, Yaz gets back in the car, glancing at the unconscious man in the back and sighs. 

Maybe some interesting things happen on night shift.

~~~~~~~~

The blonde from the pub invades her thoughts no matter what Yaz tries to do. She haunts her thoughts like a ghost, and Yaz can't help but look out for her during her shifts. It's unlikely, Sheffield is a big town and something tells her that woman is more than capable of hiding when she wants to. The chances of seeing her again is so small but Yaz can't help but think that the possibility is still there. 

She's on another round of night shifts, she's  _ always _ on night shifts it feels like and Yaz doesn't like complaining but she'd always expected more. Sitting in a car in Sheffield for nights on end, waiting for something to happen is not what she had in mind. Just as she's about to be swallowed by her thoughts once more, there's a knock at the window of her car. 

Standing there is the woman from the pub. She's staring at Yaz with a strange expression on her face, a mixture of intrigue and apathy and it's a strange sight. Her hair is swept out of her face into a messy ponytail, a few blonde strands hanging about her face and it takes Yaz a few seconds to regain the ability to think coherently. As the window slid down, she sees the woman's nostrils flare briefly as she takes a breath.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" Yaz asks, and the smile on the woman's face is equal parts charming and a bit unnerving.

"I were just walking by," she says, leaning slightly against Yaz's car. "Thought I recognized you. You're the one in the pub the other night, the one who broke up that fight?"

"Yeah, that was me," Yaz says and the woman hums quietly, rocking back on her heels.

"Just wanted to say thanks. That were a pretty nasty brawl, wasn't looking forward to having to walk through it to get home," the woman says and Yaz shrugs like it's no big deal (it really isn't).

"I were just doin' my job," Yaz says and it's a tad awkward, sitting in the squad car at near midnight in Sheffield with the woman she's been thinking about for a week standing right there. "Glad to be of assistance."

"Really though, wonderful job," the woman says. She looks at Yaz for a moment and Yaz feels briefly like a lamb being surveyed by wolves. "Can I ask your name?"

"Yasmin," Yaz says, and she's not sure what compels her to add "Yaz to my friends" at the end but she's already done it, hasn't she? 

"Yasmin," the woman says. "I'm the Master." Yaz's brow furrows. What kind of a name is that?

"That's a strange name," Yaz says before she can help herself and she wishes the car seat would swallow her. The Master doesn't seem to mind and she chuckles a bit. "Sorry, that were rude." 

"I'm a strange person," the Master says and glances at her watch. "I'd best be going. See you around, Yasmin Khan." 

And then the Doctor is gone and it takes Yaz ten minutes to realize that she'd never told the Doctor her last name. 

The next time they meet, Yaz is nursing a cup of coffee in a cafe just after she's finished another night shift. It's early in the morning, the cafe she'd found almost deserted and it's just quiet enough that Yaz can breathe. She's exhausted, though slowly coming off the night shifts as the rest of the force starts to realize she's got more potential than they thought.

She walks in, and this time she's wearing dark jeans and another button down (it's strange how classy she always looks but Yaz doesn't really want to think about that, not when she's only seen this woman twice) and the moment she sees Yaz sitting in the corner, nursing a coffee, she walks over. The smile on her face is still a little forced and Yaz can't tell if it's because she's awkward or for some other reason but she offers one of her own.

"PC Khan, wonderful to see you again," the Master says, settling into the seat across from hers. She's got something in her hands but Yaz can't tell what it is, she's too busy staring at the cuff on her ear. She hadn't noticed the woman had her ears pierced. "I was actually hoping to run into you again. I've got a proposition for you. Something very important, I might add. Could change everything for you." She smirks. "You see Yasmin, I'm a traveler. Been all around the known universe, seen some of the best sights of the universe and I were wondering-"

"Are you...are you going to ask me to travel with you?" Yaz asks and the she nods slowly, that smirk never leaving. "You barely know me"

"I'm a great judge of character," the Master replies, and it's so flippant Yaz bristles a bit. "You won't even give it a thought?"

"Probably not, no," Yaz says, because it's early and she's tired and she left her manners in the squad car 3 hours ago. 

"What if I told you it was all time and space?" the Master says, leaning forward on the table. She glances about, looking over her shoulder for a second before speaking again. "Yasmin, I'm not just some ordinary person out in the middle of Sheffield for a cup of coffee. I'm an alien, from a planet far away from here. Got a time machine and everythin-"

"You're absolutely mental," Yaz says, staring to push away from the table. The Master reaches across and rests her hand on Yaz's, the smirk falling to be replaced by an almost neutral expression. Her hold on Yaz's hand is weak but there's something in the action.

"Not mental at all," she says. "Just give it a chance, Yasmin. I could show you the whole universe. Imagine, everything that every was, that ever will be, all at your fingertips."

"I have to go," Yaz says, pulling her hand away to grab her coffee cup with both hands. "I've got work." A lie, but the Master doesn't know that and Yaz has to get out of there. The entire situation feels wrong and Yaz starts towards the door before the Master could stop her. "I don't want to travel with you." She adds, as if it wasn't clear enough. The Master laughs.

"I'll convince you soon enough," she says and Yaz is out the door before she can say anything else, a tingle of uneasiness running up her spine. 

Yaz starts to feel uneasy when she sees the Master in the supermarket, standing in the middle of the cereal aisle with a look of concentration on her face. Yaz almost thinks she can get away from her line of sight before she's spotted but she isn't so lucky as the Master turns. She makes a strange expression for the briefest of seconds (so brief Yaz has to wonder if she's imagined the whole thing) before she lights up.

"Yasmin, wonderful to see you," the Master says. "I was certain the TARDIS was wrong when it directed me here but-"

"TARDIS?" Yaz shouldn't ask, she really shouldn't but her curiosity gets the best of her and the Master lifts an eyebrow, and that smirk is tugging at the edges of her lips. It makes Yaz uneasy again, and she can feel the urge to run overwhelm her.

"It's my ship," the Master replies, turning around fully to address her. "It's an acronym, really, but I won't bore you with the details. All of time and space-?" 

"Right," Yaz says, and she's interrupted twice and she should be mortified by that because her mum would definitely give her a stern talking to but her mum isn't really there, is she? "Your space ship."

"I'm telling the truth, Yasmin, I promise," the Master says. "Space and time traveller. Come, travel with me. See the sights, see what no human could ever imagine seeing. It's brilliant, the universe is-"

"Listen, I appreciate the offer," Yaz says, backing out of the shopping aisle. It's awkward now, and she wants to find the best escape route she can. "I really do but I've got work and everything. And I'm prefectly fine seeing the universe like the rest of people around here."

"Alright Yasmin," the Master says. "I'm sure you're going change your mind. Just think about it?"

Yaz doesn't reply as she moves away, shuddering slightly to herself. Something about this entire situation just doesn't sit right with her. 

The Master is outside the station when Yaz gets there and she would be surprised if she wasn't almost used to it by now. It's only been two days since the incident in the supermarket and Yaz knows she handled it a bit poorly but in her defense, she hadn't been expecting to be cornered by the woman that had been basically following her since they met. It's all happenstance but seeing the Master over and over is disconcerting and she wonders if it's the universe messing with her or if she should move towards getting some kind of restraining order.

"PC Khan," the Master says the moment she sees her leaving the station. Yaz is out of uniform, she's off shift completely and she grimaces the moment the Master approaches. "Sorry to interrupt you here at work, I just wanted to ask-"

"I don't want to travel with you," Yaz blurts out immediately. "I don't know you, all you see, to do is follow me around and it's getting quite creepy." 

"I'm sorry," the Master says and Yaz doesn't believe it for a moment. She starts to walk away but she hears the Master start walking after her. "I really am. My ship, it seems to want  _ something _ and it keeps bringing me back to you. No matter where I set the coordinates to, I'm always here."

"You're absolutely mental," Yaz calls over her shoulder, walking faster. The Master follows suit, eventually gently grabbing her elbow to keep her from moving any farther away.

"I can prove it," the Master says. "Well, not yet. Just give me a couple days. I will prove it to you."

"As long as you leave me alone for those few days," Yaz says, whirling around to face her, and she doesn't get a reply which she takes as agreement. This entire situation has been completely unsettling and no matter what she tries, she can't get it out of her head. "I-you keep following me around, wherever I go, you are and it's terrifyin'."

"I wouldn't be here if my ship didn't want me to be," the Master retorts. "Trust me, I'm not happier about this than you are. I'd much rather be out in the universe, doing what I want to do rather than be stuck here, constantly meeting some human."

"Oi," Yaz snaps because it prickles her skin the way the Master refers to her like that and  _ god  _ why is she called the Master? Is she just begging for attention? "I didn't ask to meet you, I didn't ask to be selected by your bloody ship and I certainly didn't ask to meet you over and over and over again. Maybe if you can't get your ship to work, it's a show of your merits and not mine."

The way the Master's jaw clenches tells Yaz she might have stepped one boundary too far but she doesn't care anymore. She turns on her heel before the Master can reply, barely waiting to toss over her shoulder:

"You have two days."

It's a day and a half later that Yaz gets a knock on her door, early in the afternoon. She's woken from a peaceful slumber (her last night shift for a couple weeks, thank goodness) and she answers the door half awake with an old uni shirt and a sluggish expression. There, on her doorstep is the Master and Yaz blinks a couple times to make sure she isn't imagining her. She's lucky the rest of her family is out (Sonya would have a field day, as would Najia but for different reasons) and she gives the Master a strange look.

"How did you get my-"

"You said two days," the Master cuts her off. "And here I am, before two days are up. I'm here to give you proof I'm a time traveler, a space traveler, what have you."

"I-" Yaz rubs her face. "Fine, come in. If the neighbors see you lingering they'll gossip."

"You humans, always gossiping," the Master says and Yaz should be more concerned that this woman just showed up outside her flat but she's still tired and more than a little nervous about what connections this woman must have to be able to keep finding her like this. "You lot just don't know how to stay silent for a single moment, it's really quite annoying. I have no idea what he sees in you."

She crosses the threshold with a certain amount of clear uneasiness. She glances at Yaz as she passes her, nodding quietly before moving into through the hall of the flat while Yaz follows her, stifling a yawn. 

"What  _ who _ sees in us?" Yaz asks and before the Master can answer (or give a non-answer) she continues. "Nevermind. You said you have proof?"

“Right, yes,” the Master says and she rummages around in her pockets for a moment, burying her hands into them almost up to her elbows. Yaz had no idea there were any coats with those kinds of pockets, especially not the jacket the Master is wearing. 

It’s an uncomfortable moment they spend,standing in the middle of the Khan family flat, the Master digging around in her pockets for something she’s clearly having trouble finding. 

“I’m gonna make some tea,” Yaz says because it’ll make the situation even a bit more bearable. The Master doesn’t say anything (Yaz is half expecting a dismissal of some sort but it never comes) and Yaz retreats to the kitchen to fix a cuppa and gather herself. It’s going to be a long day, she can feel it. 

When Yaz gets back to where the Master is standing, she’s got a small bauble in her hands, holding it gently, like it’s about to explode. That’s Yaz’s first thought and how appropriate would it be for the woman that’s been following her to blow her up in her own flat? It would kill her too but Yaz doesn’t trust this woman as far as she can throw her.

“What is it?” Yaz asks hesitantly, sipping on her tea after she asks the question. “Some kind of toy or something?”

“You could say that,” the Master says, fiddling with it for a second. “It’s a drone from about...oh, 500 years in your future. Nothing big, generally something anyone can buy but I figured it would be a good way to prove to you that I can, in fact, travel in the future.”

“It’s a metal sphere,” Yaz points out. The urge to reach out and touch it comes and goes and she takes another sip of her tea. “Looks more like a bomb of some kind than whatever you said it was.”

“A drone, Yasmin, please try to keep up,” the Master says and the obvious boredom in her tone makes Yaz bristle, even as exhaustion sweeps over her once more. “And I know it might seem like one of your species' more primitive weapons. However.” She presses a finger to a button on the side of the sphere. There’s a whir and Yaz’s heart leaps into her throat before bits of the metal retract inward, three metal legs extending outward and it begins to hover in the air, sitting a couple inches over her head. "There's nothing like this for at least a couple hundred years. It moves completely independently, has that artificial intelligence your kind are always on about. The perfect companion, I'd say. You can program it not to talk back and it's so much easier than doing the same to a human."

Yaz chooses to ignore the last comment for a second and tips her head back a bit to keep an eye on the drone. It's still hovering there, those legs extending out and Yaz can't help but admit it looks genuine. She's got no way of verifying that it came where the Master says it came from but she's never seen or heard of anything like it before that moment.

" _ Finally,"  _ the Master groans and reaches out for the drone once Yaz's eyes have moved off it. "I thought you would never catch on and agree with me. Now come on, I think once the TARDIS has you at the console and can get a proper look at you, I can finally leave this god forsaken planet for more than a couple seconds."

"You left to get the drone-"

"It was buried somewhere in a box," the Master replies with a flippant wave of her hand. "I have bits and pieces of things everwhere, there's nothing in there that I don't have. And if I need it, the TARDIS usually finds it for me." She shakes her head and extends the hand not holding the drone in her direction. "Now let's get moving. The sooner you come with me, the sooner I never have to come back to this planet again."

"Sounds good to me," Yaz snaps and she wonders for a moment if she's been too harsh because the Master's shoulders sort of freeze, she stiffens and she's leaning towards the door (Yaz is half worried she'll go tumbling over). But then she recovers herself, shakes her head slightly as if dispelling whatever thoughts are hidden in there, and she leads the way out of the flat. Yaz's tea is left forgotten on the table, but she can't bring herself to care that much. 

The Master's ship is inconspicuous as it sits in the middle of an empty lot in Sheffield, a small shack that looks completely abandoned. The smile on the Master's lips was the first proper one she'd seen from the woman as she approached the door, reaching out to rub her hand over the wood for a brief moment before bumping the door open with w movement of her hip. 

"Get in," she says and Yaz lingers for a moment, staring at her with as much hesitance as she can muster. The Master rolls her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to murder you," she says. "Woulda done that by now if I'd wanted to. Get in so we can get this done." 

"That's reassuring," Yaz bites out because it's the only retort she can think of. Still, the hard look in the Master's eyes makes her feet move and she slips into the "ship". 

It's bigger on the inside. Much bigger than the run-down shack that it looks like on the outside and Yaz is shoved out of the way as the Master enters, the door snapping closed behind her. 

"Right, let's get moving," the Master says, moving up towards the center of the main room. Yaz hasn't even had the chance to look at it, to really take in the center of this seemingly endless room. In the middle, there's a structure that the Master strolls around, pressing buttons, flipping switches, yanking levers down. There's an elegance to the movements and Yaz watches her for a moment longer than she should, watches the way a strand of blonde hair tumbles from the ponytail, shaken loose by the Master tilting her head to regard one of the buttons.

"What is this place?" Yaz asks and she's ignored. She honestly shouldn't be that surprised by how brazen the Master is in her disregard but it rubs her the wrong way entirely. She's apparently this woman's guest now, how it happened is still a bit of a blur in Yaz's mind, and the Master can't even stand to look at her, much less answer a question.

"We're going to Eros," the Master says. "Wonderful planet, though the natives can be a bit testy if you aren't careful." It sounds rehearsed to Yaz's ears, a speech the Master has planned out for days as she strolls away from the center of the room. her hands are shoved into her pockets and she's moving towards Yaz like a predator closing in on its prey. "I've been once before, a little over a couple hundred years ago. Didn't have a human with me, so I have no clue how they're going to treat you. If it's horrible, well..." she shrugs, smirking slightly. 

Yaz pauses for a moment, trying to think of a question that would appease her, that would make her back off for a few moments as she moves closer and closer into Yaz's personal space. "Why's it called Eros, then? If the natives are so testy?"

The Master chuckles. "You're a bright one. I'm surprised, I thought all of your species were complete apes." She shakes her head. "Anyway, you have the future human race to thank for naming the planet. They've always been a bit romantic, but it was named for the glacier on its north pole. Shaped like a heart." 

It's a reasonable enough explanation and Yaz leans against a nearby pillar as a way to keep upright when the ship gives a small jolt and then a light whump as it lands. 

"That were a smooth ride," Yaz says. "And we've traveled through space?"

"And time," the Master says. "Don't' bother trying to understand it, you won't be able to and I'd really much rather if you just went along with it." She takes a deep breath and Yaz watches her chest rise and fall, watches the way the Master gatherers herself before shoving the door open. "Stay close to me, Yasmin. There might be a few issues and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Yaz does as she says because, despite how creepy this entire situation has been, despite the way the Master talks down to her, she's the only one that knows what's beyond those doors. Yaz really doesn't have a choice but to trust her, so she trails along, taking in the sights. Despite everything else, she's on another  _ planet. _ It's breath-taking.

Yaz follows the Master through a small field, weaving between tall stalks of some kind of plant. Yaz isn't sure what it is, but the Master seems to be completely ambivalent towards it, so she can only hope it doesn't have something deadly to humans on it. They reach a small path and follow it further away from the ship. When Yaz looks back, she can't see it, even as she stares at where the building should be standing. Worry sparks in her gut.

"We aren't going to get lost, right?" Yaz asks and the Master scoffs, tossing a disdainful look over her shoulder. 

"I'm not an idiot, Yasmin, I can remember where I park my TARDIS." She doesn't say anything else and Yaz trails behind, feeling thoroughly scolded. It's only when they reach the small town beyond the fields that Yaz begins to feel anything close to better. There are few people in the street and it almost seems like an excuse to wander about an abandoned town than do anything else.

"Is this just what you do?" Yaz asks when she can't help herself any longer. "Just wander about and look around and then leave again?"

"Sometimes there are adventures," the Master shrugs. "Mysteries to solve, people that need help, all that sort of thing. That usually spoils the sights completely." There's something in her tone that Yaz can't decipher, something that makes her pause for a second but she shakes off the feeling with a sigh. 

They wander through the empty town for a little while, the Master pointing out features and explaining history in the most bored tone Yaz has ever heard anyone adopt. They don't get food (despite Yaz asking if they could stop for a moment) and the trek back to the ship feels twice as long as the one out. Yaz's feet ache and her clothes are getting hot as a second sun rises in the sky, pushing heat against the planet (and unfortunate inhabitants) below. She doesn't complain (it seems like a choice that would get her snapped at) but she relishes the thought of stepping 

"There," the Master says the moment they walk through the door. "I took the human for a jaunt across space and time, can I please go back to what I was doing before?" Yaz is about to ask who the Master is even talking to when a beep sounds from around the room and the Master scoffs.

_ Is she holding a conversation with the ship?  _ Yaz wonders and the Master turns to glower at her.

"Yes, now hush," she says. "You humans are so noisy in your brains and you can't even tell! It's so irritating." 

Yaz is sure she didn't ask the question out loud but she nods, trying to quiet her thoughts, even if she doesn't know what she's doing. THe Master doesn't seem concerned after snapping at her, however, and turns back to the center of the ship.

"What do you mean not enough?" the Master asks. "I did exactly what he would do and you're telling me it's not enough?" There's another beep from the ship and the Master groans. "Alright, let me look." Another beep and she huffs quietly. 

"Yasmin, there should be a room down that corridor and, third door-fourth door on the right," the Master says gesturing vaguely across the room. "You can wait there while I get everything sorted out with the TARDIS. Then I'll take you back to Sheffield and everything will be back to the way it was. You can go about your mundane life and I can return to what I do best."

Yaz knows better than to disagree, and she's eager to see more of the ship before she's inevitably kicked off (the Master doesn't seem the type to keep people on board with her and Yaz isn't sure she'd want to stay if she were given the option) so she sets off down the corridor like the Master said. 

The room she finds herself in is spacious, with a couple chairs and a small bed in the corner. She sits and waits for a while, straining to see if she can hear what the Master is saying to the ship but there's nothing but a muffled voice, nothing that would be actually useful. She sighs, and waits a bit longer and then the door is being shoved open and the Master is standing there. Her hair is disheveled, even more strands falling from where they'd been tied back and she regards Yaz silently as the minutes pass. 

"I'm taking you home," the Master says. "The TARDIS has agreed to cooperate enough to land me-us there. I'll figure out what to do with her from there." 

"Alright," Yaz says, because what else is she going to say? No? The Master is the one in charge of the spaceship and Yaz is only along for the ride, as frustrating as it is.

The ride back is uneventful and Yaz clings to one of the pillars as the ship shakes a bit more than it had before. When they land, the center console sends up a plume of smoke and the Master curses, kicking the side of it before looking at Yasmin.

"Are you going to stand around staring or are you going to leave?" she asks and Yaz swallows. "Go on, leave. I've got a lot of things to do and I don't need some human standing about just waiting to get hurt."

"I-" Yaz says and the words seem to freeze in her throat for a moment. "Will you be back?"

"What, to Sheffield?" the Master asks and disdain drips from her voice. "Why in the gods' names would I do that?"

"I want to travel with you," Yaz says. "You kept asking and asking and now that I've seen it I-"

"You want to hitch a ride with me, I know how these things go, Yasmin. I'm not stupid." She leans against the console and the ship beeps but she ignores it, her gaze fixed entirely on Yaz. "I only asked you to travel because my TARDIS, brilliant though she is, wanted me to. And now that we've gone somewhere, she should be appeased. I don't need you anymore."

"Just one more trip," Yaz says. "Surely you must get lonely in here by yourself with only your ship as company. I'm not stupid either, you know. I can be useful."

"Maybe as bait," the Master mutters and there's something honest in the statement that Yaz dismisses. She must have misheard. There's a beep from the ship and the Master glowers at the ceiling for a moment. "Fine, fine, you've got me. One more trip and if you aren't a total pain in my arse, I'll consider more beyond that."

Two months pass and Yaz has started traveling with the Master sporadically. Really whenever the Master decides to pop back into her life with a smirk and an extended hand and they're once more whisked off to planets and times unknown. Yaz sees so many sights in those first few trips, one after the other, that when she gets home, everything seems so boring by comparison. Going about her day, working with the police and dealing with her family and doing everything that the Master deemed "mundane". She would have to agree now, though she hates to agree with the Master (it makes her ego even larger if it's possible).

Their travels are strange, though Yaz hasn't been on many holidays and it's not like she can compare the entire universe to a couple landmarks in the surrounding countries. But there's something about the Master, too, an energy about her. She mutters to herself a lot when she's steering the TARDIS, and Yaz tries not to listen in because it's rude, but sometimes she can make out the soft whisper of "he wouldn't take her here" and, as it always is, the question to ask  _ who _ she's constantly talking about is on the tip of her tongue before the Master distracts her with another planet to explore. She's also started paying more attention to the Master and she looks so bored when they wandered about, never interfering, just looking and talking to each other before taking off.

She's also noticed the bits of glee when they've been put in tougher situations, pinned against walls and forced to make choices that no one should be in charge of making. Yaz notices the way she relishes talking to their adversaries, takes pleasure in grabbing their weapons and, occasionally, killing them. She puts it down to a need for adrenaline, to the Master wanting to put an end to the suffering of those less fortunate than her. It's easier to think than the alternative and it's a road that Yaz makes sure to never venture down.

They've landed once more, a planet whose name Yaz can't remember. They're here for the water, apparently a deep purple that's unrivaled by any other in the galaxy. Yaz lets the Master lead the way as she always does and they exit on a small hill overlooking a bustling town. Yaz can see several stalls set up in different sections of the town, tops made out of canvas with people moving between them quite quickly.

"Busy," Yaz says. The Master doesn't like a lot of talking and Yaz knows it's one of the best ways to grate on her nerves. And if she grates on the Master's nerves, she's at risk of being dropped off in Sheffield forever. "Are you sure we're going down there? Louder than you normally pick."

"You said you wanted souvenirs," the Master says, the word curdling on her tongue. "I brought you to one of the better markets on this side of the galaxy. There's also something here I need." She rummages around in the pockets of her trousers for a minute, frowning for a moment before pulling a small bag out of it, dropping it in Yaz's hand. "Here's some money. Try not to get into any kind of trouble, I can't guarantee I'll be able to get you out of it and we both know you're too dependent on me to do anything."

"Oi," Yaz says, but it's half hearted. "Were doing perfectly fine until you came along.  _ You're  _ the one who wanted me to travel with you, I'm just following your lead."

The Master whirls around and grips Yaz's chin in her hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. "You're nothing more than a human, Yasmin Khan. You can't possibly know what you're talking about, but take that tone with me once more and I'll make sure you're the farthest from Earth you'll ever be able to be." 

Yaz swallows thickly and the Master stares at her for a bit longer before turning back and starting down the hill towards the town. Yaz takes a moment to collect herself, to sooth the racing of her heart, before she follows after the Master, coming up behind her just before they enter the town. 

They split up soon after, Yaz moving towards the more decorative baubles in the shops and the Master slipping into an alleyway that Yaz is sure is lined with some sort of shady business. She chooses to look away (it's not like she has any jurisdiction on some random planet two galaxies over anyway, and the Master has never liked Yaz trying to get her to stick to any kind of a moral compass) and she continues down the main strip, nodding to a few of the other passerbys. No one seems to care that she's there and she's glad that the Master at least had the forethought to pick a planet where guests were welcome. That wasn't something that she often took into consideration and had led to several run-ins Yaz would just as soon forget. 

She's browsing the stalls near the edge of the market, looking for little trinkets that would appease her family but wouldn't seem so alien as to have her questioned about where she goes (she says it's retreats for work, a holiday with some coworkers, anything to get them to not worry about her while she's gone). The woman running the stall smiles at her, or at least it looks like a smile, and Yaz smiles back, inquiring prices. Maybe it gets a little flirty and maybe Yaz leans into it because why shouldn't she? It couldn't do any harm?

She's just about to move on when there's a hand on her lower back, holding tightly to her shirt and a breath ghosts across the back of her neck as the Master comes in close.

"We were just leaving," she says bluntly and leads Yaz away without so much as another word of explanation. Yaz doesn't have time to question the behavior, doesn't really have time for anything, because the Master leads her further into the market, away from the stall. Yaz isn't even given a moment to protest because the Master practically pulls her towards another stall and they bounce, one to another without a moment to breathe in between. While Yaz glances over the different wares, the Master fiddles with objects and sets them down with an apologetic smile for not buying something. 

Yaz manages to find a couple things to appease her family, some jewelry for Sonya and her mother that she knows will appease them and a small bound notebook that would do well with her father and then the Master moves her back towards the TARDIS, barely giving her time to breathe.

"What was that abou-" Yaz doesn't have the chance to ask the question before the Master is moving once more, the TARDIS door snapping shut behind her. Yaz is alone on the interior and the urge to follow her itches under her skin but she pointedly ignores it. The Master wouldn't be very happy if she were to go charging out after her, even if she wants to.

She waits forever, sitting in the console room and gazing at the gifts she got for her family. She starts to mentally go over how to fly the TARDIS, the observations she's made while she travels with the Master (she watches a lot but it looks so complicated, the Master always moving between each side of the console with well timed strides and flips of buttons). She doesn't know much but it beats sitting there and staring at the wall, waiting like a dog would for its owner. 

The comparison doesn't sit well in her mind but the Master enters then and she shoves the thought to the side, standing to greet the Time Lord. 

"What took you so long?" Yaz demands, crossing the room to her. "Why did you have to go back..." she trails off, noticing flecks of  _ something _ on the Master's cheek, on her crisp white button down. "Is that-?"

"I'll be taking you home next, then," the Master says, brushing past her. Yaz can smell something on her clothes, something like fire and ash and an uneasy feeling starts to grow in her stomach.

"What did you do?" she asks, and the Master smirks, flipping a few switches before beckoning to the door. Yaz approaches slowly and eventually the Master shoves it open for her, urging her to look below. The town they'd just been in, the market and outlying houses, are all ablaze, smoke rising into the atmosphere. Yaz can't hear anything from where they are, above the carnage but it's enough to make her stomach roll. 

When she turns to the Master, she barely has room to breathe, the Master right next to her, using what little height she has over her to loom over Yaz. She opens her mouth to protest and then the Master is kissing her and it feels like everything Yaz thought it would, though she would never admit to imagining it. The Master's lips are slightly chapped (of course they are) and, unlike everything else the Master has done since they met, it feels as far from perfunctory as anything could be. Yaz starts for a moment before kissing her back because she'd be a fool not to.

The Master pulls back a few seconds later just enough to halt the kiss but still close enough that Yaz can feel her breath ghosting over her lips. 

"You're mine," she whispers, punctuating the statement with another shorter kiss. "And I don't share."


	2. halfway to life and halfway to dying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to the w!master channel, i'm your host jo and i'll keep working on w!master thasmin stuff until the day i stop writing
> 
> (also i realized i never credited the songs i got the titles from so
> 
> for the main title and the title of this chapter: small talk by call security 
> 
> for the first chapter title: devil by glenn)

The Master kisses her more after the first time and Yaz doesn't protest. The Master probably doesn't think she notices the way it's always after a crisis, after the Master has taken it one step too far, has crossed one too many lines for Yaz to remember that affection she harbored for the alien (as much as she hated to admit it). She probably doesn't think Yaz could notice something like that, she doesn't think much of humanity after all. But Yaz notices and she lets the Master kiss her in those moments because if she didn't, it would mean never kissing the Master again.

She should feel bad, she knows she should. How many times has she gripped a blood stained shirt, tasted blood against her lips, breathed in the scent of death that flew around her like a perfume? She's lost count, to be honest and each time, laying awake in her room on the TARDIS or in her room in her family's flat or in the squad car at work, she thinks  _ this is it, I'll end it next time. _ And the next time it happens, Yaz accepts her kiss with eagerness. 

She should feel bad. But she doesn't. 

It's not like she even feels guilt over it anymore, or shame or any other kind of emotion that curls her stomach in knots. It's more of a vague thought at the back of her mind, an idea, a to-do list that she's forgotten to get around to that comes up at the worst of times. But then the Master is swooping in with a smirk and a tilt of her head and who is Yaz to complain about the small flecks of blood that end up under her nails or the dots along the Master's shirt, which definitely should have been crisp white. 

The time between their trips gets shorter and shorter, until the Master drops Yaz off the evenings that she leaves and picks her up the next morning and they're off once more, spending days, even weeks at a time exploring the universe. Well, Yaz explores the universe, the Master slips off to places unknown and Yaz doesn't want to know what she does. It's easier on everything if she doesn't know.

it's another day when the Master drops her off, bidding her farewell with a small kiss (a distraction from the scent of gunpowder wreathing about her like a perfume) and Yaz lets herself get lost in the kiss for more than a few seconds until the Master pushes her further out of the TARDIS with a promise to see her the next morning. 

"Don't be late this time," Yaz says. "I don't want to take all the questions from my famiy again. They keep asking why I've got so many retreats going on."

"Maybe you need a better excuse," the Master says. "Tell them you're out with coworkers or something, nothing professional just mates spending time together."

"They won't believe I've got mates," Yaz says and the Master sighs, shrugging.

"Your fault for being married to the job," she says shortly. "Now I've really got to be going, planets out int he galaxy aren't going to conquer themselves." The Master disappears into the TARDIS after that and with a slight hum and a gentle groan and a gust of wind, the TARDIS is gone. 

Yaz turns on her heel and glances up at the building holding her flat. 

Yaz loves her family, she really does, but with the universe at her finger tips, continuing to come back home to her family to make sure she doesn't forget about them, to make sure the Master doesn't get her claws in too deep. The universe is beutiful but the Master is dangerous and Yaz knows it. Staying in her company for too long would end up crushing Yaz eventually, but as time goes on, she's finding it hard to see the downsides of such a thing happening.

"Yasmin!" Najia comes around when Yaz opens the door, giving her a tight hug. 

"Mum, I were here just a few hours ago," Yaz protests, returning the hug with reluctance. "Just out with some mates."

"You have mates?" Sonya pipes up from the couch. She doesn't look up from her phone but Yaz doesn't expect her to. "That's news to me."

"Be nice, Sonya," Najia says. "Just feels like ages since I've seen you, is all."

"Thanks, mum," Yaz says and she perches in one of the chairs in the living room, staring out the window, up at the sky. She wonders where the Master is, whether she's really conquering a planet or whether that was just something she said to make Yaz leave. It's hard to tell with the Master, as mysterious as she is at times and it's only Sonya pointedly coughing that draws from her musings, looking over at her younger sister with a glare.

"Don't look at me like that," Sonya says. "You were all spaced out. Said your name like, four times."

"It was only once, Sonya," Najia says from the kitchen, where she's presumably fiddling with the tea kettle or some other thing that Najia liked to do when one of her daughters wasn't acting quite right. "But she is right, Yaz, you've been unfocused recently. Is everything alright?"

"Must be work," Yaz says and she cringes at the lie. It might have been true before but with the Master around, she's barely thought of work for weeks, only remembering to mention the retreats every time she slips out of the flat in the early morning. One could probably argue that this sort of dependence and constant contact with the Master isn't good but it's the  _ universe.  _ Even if the Master wasn't as charming as she is, or as beautiful or any of the several words she could say in the Master's favor (and several more in detriment) Yaz would still agree to go. 

Space had been the missing piece, or it seemed that way at least. Yaz has never felt more free in her life, not when she finally got out of the bloody school with Izzy Flint, not when she started as a probationary officer, and not any of the moments between or after. Yaz doesn't want to think that the missing piece is the Master, doesn't want to let her thoughts go that far down that line in case she comes to conclusions she isn't quite prepared to face. 

"I thought those retreats were supposed to be relaxing," Sonya says and Yaz has to fight the burst of panic at the sarcastic edge. There's no way she could know what Yaz was doing, she'd made sure to cover her tracks as best she can. "Not stressful."

"They're supposed to be relaxing," Yaz says. "But they really aren't, not when you have to sit around with a bunch of cops all staring at each other." She shrugs and looks over at Sonya. "But at least I've got a job."

"At least I've got mates. Proper mates, not weird work mates who go on retreats that are apparently so awful," Sonya says and Yaz has only been home for a few minutes but she already feels like pulling out her phone calling the Master and asking her to take her everywhere and anywhere but she sees the look on her mum's face and she decides to keep quiet, just for a little longer. 

"Both of you, quiet down," she says, looking between the two sulking women with annoyance in her eyes. "You're acting like children and I won't stand for it in the house." She gives a warning look to the both of them before she moves back towards the kitchen to finish making the tea. 

Yaz and Sonya don't say anything to each other, Sonya going back to her phone with little more than an annoyed sigh. Yaz looks out the window again at the sky, hoping that the Master will make it bloody quick. She doesn't think about how easily she's willing to give up her family for just a bit more action with the alien woman.

Later that night, after Hakim shows up with the shopping and Sonya's put away her phone for a few moments to help a bit with dinner, after they're just about ready to eat and there's a knock to the door.

"I'll get it," Yaz says quickly, shifting away from the table to move towards the door, walking across the flat and opening the door to see the Master standing there, absolutely drenched in water with a scowl on her face.

"So the conquering didn't go so well," she mutters, wringing out her blonde hair. "And I think I've gotten the times wrong." She looks around the flat, and glances up, as if to notice for the first time that it's still night time, that she's probably more than twelve hours early and that the chatter from inside the flat has slowly died until the clatter of silverware is all that can be heard. Yaz takes a second and the Master opens her mouth to speak again before Yaz shoves her outside and lets the door snap close behind her. 

The Master stumbles back, clearly caught off guard by Yaz's physical aggression towards her. After the Master catches herself on the railing and Yaz makes sure the door is shut behind her, a glance up at the Master's face shows just how angry she is. 

"You pushed me," she says shortly, and the terse tone makes Yaz wince.

"Sorry, they would ask questions," she says, and it's a weak apology but the Master accepts it with a nod.

"This is certainly a change from the last time we met here." The Master's eyes flit up to hers, as if asking if she remembers what she's speaking of and how could Yaz forget. It feels like ages ago, despite perhaps less than a year passing (time is hard to keep track of) but it's burned into her mind like their first kiss and their first meeting and every other important moment as their...whatever this was progressed. "But I suppose it makes sense. You said your family are in there?"

"It's evening," Yaz says flatly. "We were in the middle of dinner and you-you're sopping wet." She'd noticed it the first time, but hadn't really paid it much mind. Now she can see the way the Master's hands clench at her side, the set of her jaw and the small raised goosebumps along her forearms and the length of her neck. "Oh my god, I barely even realized, here some inside, we'll get you some clean dry clothes and I'll come up with some way of explaining it to my family." 

She reaches out, pulls the Master towards her and is surprised when the Master hums quietly and leans into her grip. The Master doesn't like physical affection unless it's a distraction but the way the Master's eyelids flutter betray her and Yaz swallows thickly, supporting a good amount of her weight as they reenter the Khan residence. The water starts to soak through her own shirt and she knows she'll have to change it, just like she knows her family are staring at her as she leads the Master towards the bathroom but she doesn't care in the moment. 

"Yasmin Khan," the Master says and she sounds sleepy, almost sluggish. It's not right on the Master, the way her brow has softened and she looks almost kind. "I knew there was a reason I got you to come along with me."

"Why didn't the TARDIS help you?" Yaz asks, mindful of her volume. Her family are almost definitely listening in (they're too nosy for their own good, or her mum is at the very least) and the less she has to explain, the better.

"Got a bit damaged," the Master says and Yaz isn't given a chance to keep questioning her about  _ what _ could possibly damage the TARDIS, the Master is shrugging off her shirt. Yaz turns around immediately, flushing and mumbling some excuse about finding some extra clothes for the Master so she can take the others to get cleaned. She only turns back around when the shower starts to run and steam fills the room. Yaz breathes out a sigh of relief and bundles the sopping clothes in one hand, opening the door to cross the hall to her bedroom, only to find Najia standing in the middle of the room, eyebrow raised.

"Who's that?" she asks, nodding to the bathroom where the Master is still (hopefully) showering. "Work friend of yours?"

"Not now, mum," Yaz mumbles, tossing the Master's clothes onto a towel to take care of later before rummaging about in her drawers and closet for some clothes the Master could borrow. "Got a bit of a situation on my hands if you hadn't noticed."

"Don't take that tone with me, Yasmin," Najia snaps and before Yaz can reply, the water is shutting off in the bathroom and there's shuffling. Najia seems to take it as a sign to leave and sighs. "We will be discussing this later, Yasmin. Just make sure she's alright."

"Of course, mum," Yaz says and Najia leaves the room, passing the Master as she wanders back in. She's wearing some of Yaz's clothes, the loosest she can find that would make the Master as comfortable as one could be in someone else's clothing. "Nice shower?"

"Nice to get out of those clothes," the Master grumbles in return, plucking at the shirt Yaz gave her. "Sorry for dropping in so unexpectedly, as I said, the TARDIS was in a right state. Don't know what went wrong with her but I'll get her back eventually. And when I do, it'll be back to usual, right?"

"Course," Yaz says and the Master is looking at her with a strangely intense expression, one she'd never seen cros the alien's features before. "Why wouldn't it?"

The Master opens her mouth and closes it, squinting at Yaz for a moment. Then she shakes her head and shrugs. "Don't worry about it," she says. "But the TARDIS dumped me out, into a lake of all things! Quite disrespectful, I'll be having a word with her once I manage to find her and get her back." She settles onto Yaz's bed, blinking up at her. 'I interrupted something, didn't I?"

"Family dinner," Yaz says. "My mum's gonna have so many questions." It's not something she looks forward to, the interrogation that her mother is sure to give her. She settles onto the bed next to the Master and looks over at her. "Any reason why you came here?" she asks. "I mean, you've not been here since you-since I agreed to come traveling with you."

The Master gives her another look, squints and Yaz feels like she's being scrutinized and judged and it makes something uncomfortable settle in her stomach. "Yasmin," the Master says slowly. "What was the last adventure we went on?"

"Er," Yaz casts her mind back to earlier that day and thinks of a way to sum up the adventure that they'd just gone on. "Exploding haystack?" She asks, and it really was the best way to explain the incident, the catalyst of which had been a semi-sentient haystack that had gotten a bit...explodey. The Master pales slightly and looks up at the ceiling with an annoyed huff.

"Shit," she mutters. "Too early." The Master pushes away from the bed and brushes the loose, still damp strands of hair from her face. "I've got to go, don't..." the Master's face pinches for a moment and she looks around for a second. "Don't mention this to me tomorrow. In fact don't...don't mention this at all." 

Yaz gets up and leads her to the door (her mother didn't raise her to be rude, after all, and Yaz would be lying if she said she isn't just the slightest bit curious about what the hell the Master is talking about) and before she can usher the Master out the door, the alien is grabbing the lapels of her jacket, pulling her in for a kiss. Yaz clutches at the Master's shirt ( _ her  _ shirt that the Master is borrowing and if that doesn't make it even more surreal than this whole evening has been) and sighs quietly. It’s nothing like when she kissed the Master earlier that day. Though she’s holding Yaz close, the Master isn’t using any force, just keeping a hold of her lapes, as if grounding herself.

"You can't mention it," the Master reminds her as she pulls away, words mumbled against her lips. "I'll see you soon, Yasmin." And then she's out the door and Yaz is staring out at her, sighing quietly. She's given a few minutes of peace, allowed to stare out at the Master as she walks away into the night. Then, there's the sound of a clearing throat behind her and she winces, turning out of the doorway with a sheepish smile. 

"So, a friend of yours?" Najia asks and Yaz knows she won't be able to slip out of the questioning. With a reluctant nod, Yaz follows her mother back to the table where they finish dinner in silence. Sonya doesn't look up from her phone the whole time but Yaz notices her smirking whenever she glances up at Yaz. 

They clear away the plates and Yaz lingers in the kitchen with Najia while Hakim goes to the living room, turning on the telly. Sonya disappears the moment Najia mentions washing up, spouting some excuse that neither Yaz nor her mother listen to. Soon, it's just them in the kitchen and while Yaz tries to distract herself using the dirty plates left about, Najia doesn't let her have a moment of rest.

"Who was that woman, Yaz?" she asks and Yaz shrugs.

"A friend," she says evasively because she's not going to give up the information as easily as her mum wants. "Someone I met a little while ago, it's nothing-"

"Yasmin, do not lie to me," Najia says, setting the plate she'd been washing back in the sink. "She shows up on our doorstep and you don't even tell us anything about her. Why haven't we heard about her until now?" When Yaz doesn't answer, her mum grabs her arm, looking at her with so much concern, Yaz feels nothing but guilt. "Who is she, Yaz?"

"She's..." Yaz trails off, because she can't lie to her mum, it's impossible and it would make her feel absolutely horrible. But she can't tell her the truth either, she'd probably just laugh and tell her to get her head out of the clouds. Her hands start to sweat and Yaz wipes them on her jeans, wishing it were easier, wishing the Master were just a normal human and not a time traveling, spacefaring mad woman who was a little violent at times (read a lot violent) but that violence was just a bit of the enigma that made up the Master. There's more to her, Yaz has seen it, has felt it in almost every kiss they share, though she'd never admit it to anyone who asked. Namely her mother. "She's one of the best people I've ever met," Yaz replies because it's the only reply she can give that's truthful. "And I really can't tell you more than that."

"Oh Yasmin," Najia says and she's cradling Yaz's face in her hands. "Just be careful. There's something about that woman-I know, I know, I don't know her and I can’t make judgements, but there’s an energy around her. And you’re my daughter. It’s my job to keep you safe, from whatever could hurt you." She presses a kiss to Yaz's forehead before returning to the washing up. Yaz stands besides her, drying the dishes as they're passed to her until the sink is empty and everything is where it's supposed to be. Then Najia is heading for the living room, settling next to Hakim and Yaz is on her own in the kitchen, a dish towel barely held in her hands.

There's a choice she needs to make. Well, not immediately but fairly quickly. The Master is coming for her tomorrow and she has to choose eventually whether or not she'll let her family know about this double life she's leading. Sonya's probably onto her already, she at least suspects that something isn't right. Najia is always suspicious of her, has been since Yaz started traveling with the Master and lying to her mum would only prove to be more problematic in the long run. Keep traveling and reveal the truth or stop traveling and lose everything she'd come to love in the universe. 

_ One more adventure,  _ Yaz assures herself, setting the towel down and heading to her room.  _ One more adventure with the Master and I'll figure out how to tell them what's going on. _ On the way back, she notices the Master's clothes, still sitting in a sodden heap in the corner. The Master would be missing those and as she changes into her old uni shirt and pants, she hopes the Master will be there on time the next morning. 

They go on four more adventures. Well, that's just the mishaps, the little bits of catastrophe that the Master causes by her mere presence anywhere. It's almost always her fault, what happens but Yaz finds it hard to hold that against her. She finds it hard to hold anything against the Master, which should be concerning. But beyond the four mishaps, there's at least five beaches, a dozen alien meadows and mountainsides and scenic views. It's like the Master can tell something is off, that Yaz has something on her mind and wants to distract her from it.

The gesture borders on sweet.

And maybe it's that thought that sticks with Yaz or maybe something else she can't name, but as she leans against the console, waiting for the Master to finish some basic repairs, she looks down at the alien woman with a smile on her face. 

"You know," she says conversationally. "One of these days you should come up to my flat. When my family's gone of course. I could make you a proper cuppa and give us a moment to ret until we move for whatever adventure you have planned for us next." The Master scoffs, pushing out from under the console to stare up at her. Somehow, her shirt is still crisp and clean, though there's a smear of oil on her cheek and her hair is disheveled.

"We don't need to go to your flat for a proper cuppa, Yasmin," the Master says, sitting up from the floor. She wipes her hand on a rag before tossing it over her shoulder. It lands on the console and the TARDIS beeps. The Master waves the noise off. "There are plenty of good kitchens in the TARDIS, complete with whatever kind of tea you'd like."

"Maybe I want to go home," Yaz says and the Master rolls her eyes.

"Then ask to go home." She gets to her feet, wanders across the room until they're almost nose to nose. it's moments like this that Yaz is grateful the Master is almost her height, if a bit taller. It makes her less threatening like this. "You've never been afraid before."

"What if you show up again," Yaz asks, raising an eyebrow. "I don't need you walking up on my doorstep again like a wet cat." The Master frowned.

"I've not come to your flat since the first time I did," the Master says. "Why do you think I went to it?"

"Because you were there," Yaz says, and she doesn't move away as the Master moves impossibly closer. Yaz knows she's about to be on the end of one of the Master's usual distractions but she can't find it in herself to care. "You showed up on my doorstep and you were covered in water. I let you have a shower and then you kissed me right in front of my mum-" Yaz is cut off from her ramble by the Master kissing her and it's all harsh lines and movements, the Master's hand holding tight to her, almost too tight when compared to the memory of them in her flat, just by the door, with her mum watching. 

Her mum. 

Yaz pulls away, gasping for breath and she looks up at the Master, trying to sort her thoughts properly. She's way too good at mixing up Yaz's brain and Yaz should probably be more concerned than she is about it. "My mum saw us," she says. "And you came up to my flat, you  _ never _ come up to my flat and my family was there and you walked in like it was nothing..." Yaz trails off. "You said it was too early."

"I'm a time traveler, Yasmin, these sorts of things happen all the time," the Master says but there's something to the edge of the statement and Yaz wants to pry it apart, wants to interrogate the Master until she can get a proper answer out of her, anything. Before she can however, the Master is kissing her again and it's so distracting and that's the  _ point _ and Yaz wants to scream at her for trying to pull her out of her thoughts the way that she is. It's a tactic that Yaz loathes and loves. 

She doesn't bring it up again.

The Master doesn't drop her off as much as she used to. They've slowly progressed from one trip at a time (with the Master dropping her off after every adventure to go home, get some rest) to three or four, to near months of travel. Yaz knows she should slow down, have the Master take her home so she doesn’t lose a grip on everything she knew before, but she texts her sister a bit, keeps it vague, bounces around the universe and the Master doesn’t seem bothered by her presence. If anything, she seems energized and sometimes they’ve gone from one planet to another to another with barely a breath to travel.

The Master seems to enjoy her company and grows more relaxed as the time goes on. Yaz too finds herself spending more time just in the Master’s company, whether they’re on the TARDIS or out exploring.

That’s another thing. The Master wants to explore now. Wants to go with her and wants to see whatever she wants to look at. It's disconcerting at first, the Master trailing along behind her, taking in the sights, occasionally pointing something out but almost always quiet. She's like a whole new person and it's when they're sitting on a beach on some distant world, where the water is deep shades of purple and the sky has a greenish tint, that she has the thought.

_ She's like she was when she came to the flat. _ It strikes something in her and she glances over at the Master, reclined in the sand with her sleeves rolled up, her pants cuffed, feet bare, looking so relaxed that Yaz has does a double take to make sure she isn't just imagining the small, half smile on the Master's face.

And it could be the heat from the sun overhead or the heat from the sand or anything else, but Yaz is warm and dare she say content, and being there with the Master makes it that much better. And because her thoughts wander (she really can't help it sometimes) she glances out at the water and wonders what it would be like to be there without the Master. Maybe with someone else, maybe alone, but without the Master. 

The thought sours her stomach and she pushes it away, shaking her head to herself. But that feeling lingers, that "what if the Master wasn’t there" and that uncomfortable feeling in her stomach settles like a heavy stone, doesn’t go even when she tries to ignore it and the thought that accompanies it. 

And oh.

_ Oh. _

She doesn't want to think that, not when the Master is right there and she's so relaxed but Yaz can't help but remember back at her flat (it always seems to come back to then, that one moment when she'd seen something  _ else  _ in the Master, something that wasn't anger or hatred or that bit of madness always lurking on the edges of her vision) and she looks over at the Master again, tracing the lines of her profile with her eyes. She'd been wearing sunglasses but they ended up in the sand next to her, along with the pocket watch that had been shoved into her pocket.

"I-" Yaz starts to say but she can't go through with it, it's too much to say here in this moment of peace. It would ruin everything. "I love it here. Really glad we came."

The Master cracks open an eye, looks at her with that small, half smile. "I knew you'd love it," she says simply and it inspires so much emotion in Yaz that she has to look away for a moment. The Master can't know, because even though she's not said it in ages, Yaz is still just a stupid human and it would ruin everything. 

"Are you going to want to stay for much longer?" the Master asks and Yaz looks up at the blue-green sky, grains of sand rough against her fingers. The Master hadn't brought the towels and Yaz knows it was intentional.

"Just a bit longer," Yaz says. "It's just so...peaceful." 

"Alright," the Master says and falls silent again. Yaz looks out at the water and shoves  _ those _ feelings away. 

She does it well enough for a few weeks. Their adventures slow (Yaz needs distance from the Master if she's going to get herself together) and Yaz spends more time at home, more time with her family and it sets her head straight. She doesn't tell them much, only that she's working towards a promotion (not a lie for once) and that her "friend" is occupied in France. The Master comes over a few times to pick her up, introduces herself to Yaz's family as Jayden (a human name she'd picked with great pride) but she doesn't linger and half the time Yaz stays in the flat. They don't really even talk that much. The Master could call at any time, or Yaz could call; they don't. 

But Yaz still thinks about her. Still dreams about her, and the planets they've been on and she still listens for the rustle of wind indicating the TARDIS is coming for her. She could ask the Master to come back at any time but that feels like losing, like declaring how dependent she's become on this alien, this woman that dropped into her life and practically stalked her for two weeks. And Yaz isn't dependent on her, she can't be. Things as wonderful as the Master, as the TARDIS, as the  _ universe, _ are fleeting and getting too attached feels like a bad idea in her gut.

Yaz has never been good at listening to those warnings, not when she's so emotionally invested in them.

So she throws herself into her work, sets her sights on that promotion and works and works. Days pass and then a week and then two weeks and then three weeks and Yaz hasn't spoken to the Master. She still thinks of her every day, thinks about the TARDIS, scrolls through the photos of alien landscapes on her phone and wishes she could be there. Her family doesn't speak to her a lot, they don't seem to understand what has gotten into her and she doesn't want to explain it. 

She doesn't get the promotion.

It's that night that she calls the Master, palms slippery with sweat as it rings. And rings. And rings. And Yaz isn't one for anxiety, isn't one to be nervous but if the Master would just pick up it would be so much easier to do this. Finally, there's a click.

"So, you've finally decided you want to come back?" The Master's voice is smooth on the other side and Yaz feels all the anxiety wash away. "I don't even know why you left in the first place but I figured, human conventions being the way they are, I should wait for your call."

"I don't know why I left," Yaz blurts out and it's only a bit of a lie. She hadn't meant for months to pass, hadn't meant to just leave the Master waiting for a call. It feels cruel. "But I want to come back. If you'll have me."

"Of course I'll have you," the Master says. "A tolerable human? It's not very often that one appears and I tend to try and take advantage of it." 

"Come by tonight then," Yaz says because the cat's already out of the bag, isn't it? Her family already knows about her "secret friend" (what her mum had taken to calling her which is more than a little embarrassing) and she lost the promotion at work, there's little to hang onto. "We can have dinner or we can just go, I don't really care. I just...I want to see you again."

"Well then, Yasmin Khan," The Master says. "Your wish is my command. I'll be there about...now." There's a knock on the door and Yaz lurches towards the door, startled by the noise. The Master hangs up on her, Yaz hears the click but she doesn't really acknowledge it as she moves to be the first to the door. Her mum is gone, it's just her, Sonya and their dad but she still doesn't want them to know that the Master is there. 

She tugs open the door and barely takes the time to pull the Master in before she's letting it go and dragging the alien to her room. It's only once the door is closed behind her and Yaz can let a breath of relief out that she gets to see the Master, gets a proper look at her.

"You're-"

"Just came from your flat," the Master says and if Yaz didn't know any better, she'd call her sheepish. "Well, your flat in the past. Time Travel, very complicated, it's hard to keep things straight and I wouldn't want to hurt your brain." The sardonic grin the Master gives is hollow and Yaz frowns. She's still wearing Yaz's shirt, her hair is still damp, everything is just like it had been when she left all those months ago and Yaz's breath catches. That look, that look she's been obsessing over for ages, talking herself in circles for hours about it, it's in the Master's eyes. 

"Right," Yaz croaks out, looking down at her feet. "Right. I forgot about all that, you know how it is." She's lying and she knows the Master knows she's lying, she has to know that Yaz is lying because telling the truth would be too much for Yaz to deal with in the moment.

"You said something about dinner?" the Master asks after a long, awkward pause. It's so strange, this tension that's between the two of them and Yaz wishes it would go away, wishes that it would be easy again. 

"Yes, dinner," Yaz says and she nods to the door. "My mum isn't here and you don't want to try any of my dad's cooking, it's not that good. I'll make something..." she trails off, not really knowing where that sentence was going. She's a mess and she's nervous, and the Master has to be able to tell. But she shrugs casually, and she's still wearing Yaz's shirt and Yaz can't help but notice that because she can't stop looking at the Master, even as she nearly runs into the door. 

They wander to the kitchen together and Yaz bustles about the kitchen, finding something to make that would be easy but would also be up to the Master's standards (which seemed to be anything with vague flavor and was edible in the loosest understanding of the term). She cooks and the Master is silent, leaning against the counter, staring at her. Yaz feels like she’s looking through her body and into the core of her.

They eat in silence and then move towards the TARDIS, which the Master has parked just outside Park Hill flats and it isn't until the Master is standing around the console that she speaks again.

"It happened the way you said it did," the Master says eventually. "When I showed up earlier. I mean, it wasn't as if I'd been up here dozens of times but I hadn't thought it was the second time. If I'd known, I would have apologized for rushing out so quickly." She sighs, slumps against the console. "Sorry for running out so quickly."

"I understand," Yaz says because she does understand on some level. "And I'm sorry for not reaching out when I could have." She fiddles with one of the switches on the console and the Master shoots her a glare. She's not supposed to fiddle with anything on the console, it could throw off their entire course. "Look, I-"

"Yasmin," the Master says, placing a hand over hers on the console for a moment. It works to shut Yaz up for a moment, enough for her brain to stutter as the Master looks at her. "We've got all of time and space to explore. Where would you like to go?" She's got a smirk on her face and she's pulling away and yaz can't help the way she reaches out and grabs the Master's shirt and pulls her in close, pressing their lips together in a desperate kiss.

The Master huffs her surprise but returns the kiss with as much as she gets and Yaz clutches at her shirt, heart racing in her chest as she does so. When the Master pulls away, she's breathing a little heavier and she doesn't go far, resting her forehead against Yaz's. 

"What was that for?" she whispers and Yaz swallows thickly. "Yasmin?"

"I love you," Yaz blurts out and it's so hard to meet the Master's eyes but if Yasmin Khan is anything she's brave. "You're...you're one of the most wonderful people I know in this universe and you've done so much-" The Master shakes her head with a chuckle that makes Yaz tremble to her core.

"You don't know me, Yasmin Khan," the Master says. "I'm older than you could ever imagine, I have killed more people than you will ever meet. The blood stains on my hands don't wash away with each body and no amount of love you have could ever change that." She shakes her head again. "You could never love me."

"Maybe I don't know you," Yaz says. "But I love you all the same." And before she can continue, the Master kisses her again, presses her up against the console and steals her breath and Yaz lets her because saying no to the Master has always been impossible.


	3. the fabric of my soul is frayed and falling apart at the seams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is almost a law of nature that every love confession must have fallout. It is up to those involved to decide whether negative or positive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nobody look at me

The Master stops kissing Yasmin after she confesses her love. She’d let her get too close, let this human wander into her TARDIS (though that was more on behalf of the TARDIS, more for the purpose of stealing a companion from the Doctor, a companion they’d never have because the Master had her now) and let her get so close she felt she could properly love her. It was a mistake, all of it, the Master knows it now and the best option is to distance Yasmin Khan and make sure she makes it out of this unscathed. 

Teaching Yasmin just exactly who she thought she loved is the best place to start and with that thought cemented securely in her mind, the Master starts them on a long chain of trips that range from dangerous at best and nearly deadly at worst. Well, deadly for Yasmin who takes it in stride, even as she starts to fall further and behind, narrowly escaping death every time they slip back into the TARDIS. Too many shots nearly catch her as she slips and grows tired and can’t keep up with the ragged pace the Master is setting.

Disappointment wars with relief in the Master’s chest and she swallows the feeling and sends the TARDIS off again despite the warning pushing at the edges of her mind. The TARDIS has been a lot more vocal in the last few days, has been ever since the thought of ruining one of the Doctor's potential companions. It had led her to Yasmin after all, and been so stubborn when she'd been half-heartedly trying to persuade Yasmin to join her. 

The TARDIS howls its way through the vortex, a kind of complaint but it doesn’t stop, doesn’t still in the vortex and it carries them to their next destination. The Master, at least, is familiar with this one, has been a couple times before. More than a couple times, really, she’s been countless times in different bodies, different faces. Has committed atrocities every time, and Yasmin has wiped the blood from her hands, from her face but surely it will be different if it’s Earth’s blood. It has to be different. 

Yasmin stumbles out from one of the corridors of the TARDIS and looks at her, but the Master doesn’t afford more than a cursory glance her way. She looks tired, the way her hair is disheveled, her clothes disheveled (she’s still in her sleeping clothes!) everything rumpled and just slightly wrong. She sighs and the Master can practically feel the exhaustion rolling off of her. 

Her plan is working perfectly, then. That’s a relief.

“Where are we now?” Yasmin asks and the Master smirks, throwing the look over her shoulder before she urges the TARDIS to settle down just a bit more. Yasmin asks the question again and the Master pretends to not have heard it. They dont’ speak much anymore either, though that’s more due to the fact that the Master has made sure Yasmin is as exhausted as a human can be without collapsing all over the place. 

“Master,” Yasmin says and a hand drops onto her shoulder. The Master jumps, she hadn’t been expecting Yasmin to properly touch her and it’s like fire. Humans are so bloody  _ warm. _ “Tell me where we’ve landed.”

“You don’t make the orders, Yasmin,” the Master says in reply, her voice sharp like a whip. “You don’t get to demand anything from me.” She pulls away from Yasmin’s grip, glad when the scalding hand falls away. It's a relief. “But if you must know...I’ve brought you back to Earth.” She says it slowly, as if talking to a toddler and she might as well be. Yasmin sometimes is like a toddler, wandering about with her wide eyes. The Master tries to scrape up some irritation to feel at it but she can’t.

"I don't want to be on Earth," Yasmin replies and the Master groans, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of her human companion. How the Doctor ever managed with humans she'd never understand. "You're not getting rid of me, are you?"

"No," the Master says. "I never said it was earth as you knew it, Yasmin. We're here...oh, a few hundred years in your future, give or take. After your kind have completely destroyed the planet, made it completely uninhabitable." The Master grins and the exhaustion changes to trepidation and it makes such a change in the air the Master feels just a bit more manic glee at the fact. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we have the right equipment. I didn't bring you here to die."

Yasmin looks at her as if she doesn't believe her (and can the Master really blame her? She wouldn't believe herself) but nods slowly. "Alright." And the Master hadn't been expecting such an easy agreement. It's probably the lack of sleep and the death defying escapes that makes her like this and yes, the Master is a tad unnerved by it but she'd never admit that. She doesn't think much more of it and turns back to the console, punching a few buttons to occupy her hands while she waits for Yasmin to ask more questions. She always asks questions.

The standard questions never come and after a few minutes of awkward silence, Yasmin clears her throat.

"Are we going to go then, or are you just going to sit there and fiddle with the controls?" It's not one of the questions Yasmin usually asks (though the Master generally kick starts their adventure the moment they land so their boty acting a little strangely it seems) but the Master reluctantly pulls away from the console to turn about and face her. 

"Go to the wardrobe room and get some suits. The TARDIS will show you what you need to get, just follow her lead." Then she turns back and goes back to fiddling and there's a pause before Yasmin's footsteps recede. The Master smiles to herself and then looks up at the console as it glows gently in the gloom of her console room. 

"I know, I know, she's not quite right." She tries to keep the glee out of her voice, really does, and there's a chiding hum from her ship. "Look, you heard what she said the other day. There's no reason for me to keep her around other than messing with the Doctor and because you've got some attachment to her." The ship beeps again and the Master holds up her hands. "I'm not judging, I'm just pointing out the observations I've made."

They go back and forth like this for a while, the Master making a witty, snapping retort (not that her other retorts are any less witty or snappy) and the TARDIS returns with a beep or a hum. It's not a proper conversation, not in the way someone like Yasmin would see it, but the Master also isn't in the habit of trusting the opinion of someone like Yasmin. Humans could never understand the complex relationship a Time Lord would have with their time ship. 

They banter back and forth a bit, the discussion reduced to little digs here and there until Yasmin announces herself by clearing her throat. The Master turns away from the console and offers a smile that more resembles bared teeth. She knows showing this side of herself to Yasmin, the feral, caged monster, might be a bad decision but she also knows that there's no better way to get her to leave her be. Yasmin doesn't shy away from her, however and holds up the different equipment she'd been given, her expression tight. 

"This is what the TARDIS gave me," she says, as if the Master couldn't already tell that. "There was a lot more but this is what I could get my hands around. Is it enough?"

"It's perfect," the Master says, and she jumps down from the raise platform of the console, prowling closer to Yasmin. "Though there were a few bits and pieces that you missed, should be fine. The TARDIS knew what you were going to take, she wouldn't have steered you wrong."

She watches Yasmin swallow, feels the flutter of her heartbeat and she can't help the little rush of adrenaline it gives her. The human offers her the equipment, some suits and several different types of filters and other some such things. All things that would be necessary to travel across the dead Earth, though perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration.

"Alright, suit up," the Master says, selecting one of the suits for herself. Yaz watches her carefully while she pulls the suit over her clothes, wincing at how stiff the material is. The TARDIS isn't generally fond of keeping things clean (says the Master should do it, as if she has the time between the human she has to look after and enacting her evil plans) but she gets it on and shrugs the shoulders over her jacket. "If you aren't going to get started, I'll go on without you. And I'll lock the controls so you can't leave here."

"Don't worry, I'm working on it." Yasmin regards the suit with a slow glance before following the Master's lead and pulling it on over her clothes.

"These protect from radiation," the Master says as finishes securing clasps and the different bits and pieces of it. It's styling and she doesn't much like it but she knows that the protection is necessary, even if it's just a performance for Yasmin. She doesn't need to have the radiation suit, not really, but she knows Yasmin will be suspicious if she doesn't have one on. And she needs the oxygen filter whether she wants to admit that or not.

When they're both suited up, Yasmin adjusting the stiff material with a tired grimace, the Master turns back to the doors of the TARDIS, that feral smile tugging at her lips. 

"Are you ready, Yasmin?" the Master gives a cursory glance over her shoulder to make sure Yasmin is still there, has finished situating herself in her suit (not that the Master has made any effort to help but that was one of the points in this whole ordeal) and then she starts moving for the door, not bothering to make sure Yaz is following.

She can hear the footsteps, however, and sighs. Her assumptions that Yasmin would refuse to follow were a bit off, it seems, but she takes it in stride. If there's one thing that's going to break Yasmin Khan, it's going to be this. And driving her away from the TARDIS would be just as good as getting her killed. 

The Master pushes the doors open and takes a look around, inhaling shakily. The air is almost putrid, it hits her, bringing along with it a wave of nausea. They press forwards, however, and the Master looks up at the grey sky. They don't even get a view here, and that's a little depressing. Though the Master doesn't want to linger for too long, a glance back at Yasmin shows her plan is working. Her human "companion" looks more and more uncomfortable the closer they get to where the Master is leading them, and that was exactly her plan.

"Where are we going?" Yasmin asks after they've spent a good amount of time just walking. The Master doesn't answer and she practically tastes the frustration over the putrid air. "Where. Are. We. Going."

"Somewhere nice," the Master says in reply, though it's really not that much of a reply. Yasmin keeps asking questions but the Master doesn't bother answering them, choosing to focus on the path ahead. Just a bit farther.

They come to the top of a small hill, overlooking expanses of what had most likely once been a city. Sheffield, if the Master got the coordinates correct but when the landscape all looks the same for miles and miles, it's hard to land correctly. Hence the small walk they'd had to take. Still, the Master looks over at Yasmin and is about to ask a question when the human whirls about to look at her, eyes hard. 

"What the hell is this?" Yasmin snaps and the Master smirks at the anger rolling off of her, the way a small vein in her neck starts to appear. Yes, everything is going according to plan. "Where are we, and don't you dare ignore me again."

"If I've gotten the coordinates right, we're in your wonderful home city," the Master says. "Shall we have a look around for a while?" She steps down from the ridge, sliding down until she reaches a stop at the base of the hill and looks up at the ruins of the city. "Beautiful, isn't it Yasmin?"

"This is my home," Yasmin grinds out, and the Master smiles slightly to herself. It's too easy, far too easy to wind Yasmin up like this and she shouldn't take as much pleasure as she does in it. "And you're calling it beautiful. The place I grew up in, completely in ruin and you're what, expecting me to enjoy the fact that you brought me here?" The bite to her words is sharp and the Master would feel a bit more afraid if she didn't have all the power. "Do you even know what it's like seeing this?"

"I have some idea, yes," the Master says and she's half tempted to reveal she's been the cause of her own experience. That her home had been ruined at her own hands but that would be revealing too much. Yasmin might start asking questions then and questions are the last thing the Master wants. It would give Yasmin power over her, power the Master didn't want her to have. "Surely you aren't that angry about this? You're barely in Sheffield anymore, I assumed you no longer held ties there."

"Just because I'm not home doesn't mean I don't care about-" Yasmin bites her sentence off with a frown. "I'm done here."

"I am not," the Master says. "You may return to the TARDIS but I'll be here for a bit longer. I want to know what happened."

"You told me what happened," the human replies. "We ruined it all, what a surprise. Let's leave."

"I want to know how it happened," the Master answers, partially to draw out the agony and partially because she is curious. Knowledge is power, it always has been to the Master and knowing things Yasmin wishes not to might be valuable in the future. She's sure of it. "As I said, you may go back but I'm going to stay for a bit longer. Go sit in the corner or whatever it is you do in the TARDIS to keep yourself occupied."

There's a moment of tension and as it stretches on, the Master half expects Yasmin to turn around with a huff and leave, but she remains, lingering at her side like a lost animal. The Master wanders aimlessly, barely taking in detail as they pass buildings crumbling from how long they've been abandoned. 

She'd not just brought them to Sheffield because she knows it will hurt Yasmin the most (though that is an upside) but because of the rumors she's heard about this particular version of future Earth. Specifically this location. She's heard of creatures, dozens of them, mutated humanoids of some sort that roamed the streets like ghosts and while she wouldn't say she's looking for them (she is) if they happen to come across one or two, she wouldn't back away from the conflict. 

They keep wandering, the Master taking them in aimless directions and Yasmin says nothing as they walk, just follows along behind her. It would be unnerving if it wasn't exactly what the Master wants. Eventually, they come to a stop in front of a crumbled building, bits of paper and stone scattered everywhere. Yasmin looks down at the ground, scuffing it with her boot while the Master presses her hand to one of the chunks of concrete sticking out of the ground.

"They'll be around here somewhere," she says and looks over her shoulder to gauge Yasmin's reaction. "The remnants of humanity, though not as you would know them. Mutated a lot when the environment started to tank, though I suppose I can't blame all of that on you." There's low grumbling noise from nearby and the Master smirks to herself, turning back around to see who their company was.

From between two sections of wall, a (quite hideous) creature comes stumbling out. Yasmin gasps behind her and there's a moment where none of them move, just looking between each other for an uncomfortably long period of time. Finally, the Master takes a step towards what had once been a human and it reacts in an instant, reaching for her. 

"This is what lays in your future, Yasmin," the master says. "Not your immediate future, of course, but the future of your species. Ruin and decay, reduced and mutated to only the most basic of your instincts." She steps away from the lurching stumble of the creature, backing up a couple paces until she's level with Yasmin once more. Her human companion is practically quaking with some emotion, the Master can't make it out between the adrenaline from their little confrontation and the distance. She knows there's conflict there though, and as the mutated human takes another stumbling step towards them, Yasmin looks at her. 

And oh, rage burns there, warring with fear and even though the Master can't feel it, she can imagine the sensation, a phantom of the emotion rolling through her as Yasmin stares her down. There's realization there too, as the mutation stumbles closer and closer and the Master makes no move to herd her back towards the TARDIS. It isn't until they're within arm distance of the creature that the Master guides her back swiftly. It's almost a dance between the three of them, the Master and Yasmin moving back the moment it gets too close, until they're backed against another building and there's nowhere to run. Nowhere the Master guides them to, anyway, and Yasmin has become so used to her taking the lead that her not doing so is confusing her more than it probably should. 

"What's the plan?" Yasmin asks and the Master reaches into the pocket of her suit, rummages around for a moment. The creature gets closer and the Master makes note of the sinewy tissue lining its body, the rows and rows of teeth. It must be terrifying for Yazsmin, seeing her future so succinctly summed up in a single creature that stands before her like she owes it something. It's poetry for the Master, the exact kind of treatment she'd give humans or any other person who she wanted to get rid of, just a little bit. "Master, what's the plan?" It's a demand and the Master's hand finally secures around what she's looking for.

Wordlessly, she passes the small device over to Yaz, who takes it in her hands with a confused grimace. Her thumb hovers over the button on the top and the Master half hopes she'll press it without any question and see just what it can do. But no, that would be underestimating Yasmin Khan and the Master makes a point to never do that (it's too foolish to do more than a couple times). So when Yasmin looks at her, the question already on her tongue, the Master answers it before she can ask it.

"Tissue Compression Eliminator," the Master says. "Though a couple of my bodies just preferred to call it the Compressor. Squeezes things down tight, enough so that life can't function." Her words are quick, sharp and she doesn't give Yasmin much time to process them. They've only got a few seconds after all. "Press the button on the top and point and boom, you've eliminated the threat. Now if you could please get moving-"

"I hate you," Yasmin says and it's music to her ears, even as the Master ignores the slight sting stirring in her chest at the words. Yasmin does as she says, pressing the button with only a moment of hesitation, enough to adjust the grip. The creature halts for a moment before shrinking and falling into the rubble. The Master grabs Yasmin's hand and tugs her away from the wall, moving them towards the TARDIS. Yasmin follows along and the Master doesn't know if it's shock or something else. 

They encounter a few more of the future humans as they move through the rubble and Yasmin doesn't attack unless the Master directs her to, shouting orders as they run through the ruins of Sheffield and its outskirts until they've reached the TARDIS and Yasmin is doubled over, panting and the Master fumbles for the key in her suit. 

She's not said anything and neither has the human at her side and it's awkward as the Master stands and fiddles with her pockets and then the keys and she wonders if the TARDIS is doing all this on purpose because she doesn't have these sorts of problems, not generally. When the door finally swings open, and the soft red glow of the TARDIS washes over her, there's a shove to her shoulders and the Master is stumbling over the threshold, looking back at Yasmin.

"What the hell was that?" Yasmin snaps, shoving the TCE into her hands as if it burns her. "I'm not-you made me-"

"Yasmin, if this is the point where you're starting to have moral doubts, I suggest taking a closer look at what you've been willing to excuse in the past," the Master says dryly. The running has made her tired and she doesn't want to hold Yasmin's hand all evening. There are plans she's neglected making, repairs, almost anything under the sun that would make it easier to completely ignore the little voice of conscience that is Yasmin Khan. 

"This is different," Yasmin says and her tone is brittle. "I was willing to overlook what you did because I know I can't make you stop, it's like asking something to change its nature. I'm not a killer."

"Oh, you're not?" the Master strolls up to Yasmin, having shed her suit already. The human is still struggling with hers (probably the effort of speaking and fiddling with the different straps and buckles. "You stood by and watched me destroy a planet. I've crumbled whole civilizations before your eyes and you didn't speak a word about it. You've never pulled the trigger, but that doesn't mean you aren't a killer." She stops just ahead of Yasmin, raises an eyebrow at her and regards her with little more than disdain. The humans backs up under the intensity of the gaze but doesn't step away completely. 

"I can't stop you," Yasmin says. "I'm a human, you're always so keen to remind me of that. You'd kill me if I got in your way, I know you would."

"It would take too much effort to kill you," the Master says flippantly and turns away back towards the console. "But if you're so devastated by the fact you so simply take a life, the doors are always open. I'm not keeping you here, Yasmin. In fact, I've been trying my best to get you to leave me the hell alone."

"I can't believe you," Yasmin huffs and then she's moving away from the console room, retreating into the depths of the TARDIS. The Master watches her go with a curled lip. The TARDIS hums behind her but she ignores it, flipping levers, twisting dials until she's sure they'll break apart under her fingers. The TARDIS's hum is more insistent but then it takes off, settling on the ground not a few minutes later with a grumble. 

"Tell her we've gotten back to her time, the way she left it," the Master says. "I'm going to go do something productive." She doesn't let the TARDIS reply (even though the TARDIS could reach out to her if it wanted to) before she’s turning and wandering back through the corridors. The time ship seems to know exactly what she needs, leading her from one long corridor to another, endless walking until even the Master isn't sure where she is anymore. She's somewhere in the depths of the TARDIS, that much is clear but where and how long she's been in there, she's blissfully ignorant of.

Eventually, the TARDIS brings a door in front of her face (quite literally, she almost collides with the thing) and she glowers up at the ceiling. The TARDIS chirps at her and she nudges the door open with her foot. It swings wide, revealing her work shop and she shakes her head.

"Alright, just for a little while. Tell me if the human leaves?" The reply is immediate and the Master starts to occupy herself with tinkering, moving about the room to fiddle with the dozens of projects she's left behind, mostly to be with Yasmin. It's disgusting, she thinks, being so reliant on the company of a human or really any kind of lower life form. She never should have let herself get so attached and yes, that's her fault. 

A consequence of having the tiniest bit of the Doctor in her. Maybe it's that, maybe it's the fact that, should she allow herself to admit it, Yasmin was fascinating, as fascinating as a human could be. It's a low bar to pass, but the Master has to admit that most people she's known haven't come close to surpassing it. Not like Yasmin has.

"No, can't think like that," she tells herself as she hunches over one of the tables, rummaging around in one of her more...eclectic machines. It's intended for another one of her schemes, a plan to conquer some other civilization but she's been having a bit of trouble. The TARDIS pushes her mind a bit and the Master shuts it out and throws away a telepathic key, already mentally scolding her time ship. Her hand still as she rants and raves in her head and she's only interrupted by a knock at the door. A proper knock and not a telepathic knock.

"Come in," the Master says before she can help herself and Yasmin comes stumbling in. The Master immediately looks up at the TARDIS ceiling, sending a wave of annoyance for leading Yasmin there before looking back down, eyes hard. "What do you need?"

"The uh-the TARDIS says we're in Sheffield," Yasmin says and when the Master doesn't reply, she presses forward. "My Sheffield. The proper one." It's strange seeing Yasmin this small and the Master wonders briefly how long she'd been gone, how long Yasmin's been wrestling with what she's done but she pushes the thought away. She doesn't care, she's never cared. 

"All Sheffields are the proper ones," The Master says. "But yes, we're in Sheffield as you know it. A couple days after you left if the TARDIS got the dates right, which she did." She shrugs. "You can leave if that's what you want. You can stay, I don't  _ care. _ " The word is harsh in her mouth, it has to be because otherwise Yasmin might think she wants her to stay and she doesn't. "So are you going to keep standing there or are you going to leave me be?"

"That's it?" Yasmin asks. "After what, almost half a year of traveling together and you want me to leave, simple as I please? You want me to abandon one of the best things that's ever happened to me?"

"I'm not going to keep you here against your will, Yasmin," the Master snaps. "As I said so many months ago, my ship was the one most insistent on you coming aboard. If you don't want to be here I don't want you here. You'll just whine and make a fuss and that is not something I wish to have to deal with at this time." She pointedly turns her back, moving towards another device that needed adjusting. "We both know I'm nothing close to the best things for you, Yasmin Khan. You'd be better leaving and going back to 

Yasmin lingers for a moment and then there are footsteps and for a moment the Master thinks she'll finally get some peace on her own TARDIS and then she realizes they're getting closer and closer. A hand rests over hers on the table and she looks back at Yasmin, expression guarded.

"You care more than you say," Yasmin says. "I'm leaving for a few days, I need time away from all this, away from you. I need to think things through but I'm not leaving, not properly." She pauses and adds, almost as an afterthought, "Not yet."

"I don't care," the Master says and the words sound hollow in her own years, even more hollow in the smile Yasmin gives her. "I don't. your decisions, what you do, they don't' matter to me unless you're staying or going. "

"I'll call you when I've made my decision," Yasmins ays and the Master feels a strange urge to reach out and continue having this conversation but she suppresses it. She doesn't know where it came from and it's not something she wants to encourage in herself. The door to the workroom snaps closed behind Yasmin and the Master is left in solitude. Mere moments before she'd been wishing for the freedom that silence brought but now, in the ringing absence of Yasmin's voice, her presence, the Master finds herself unable to focus, even on connecting to separate wires. it was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

"I may need to visit an old friend," she muses aloud to herself and the TARDIS hums its agreement. "I wasn't asking you." 

There must be some way for their individual TARDISes to know when the other needs a favor, because the Doctor's TARDIS lets her in without even so much as a knock. So she strolls in, hands shoved into the pockets of her pants and waits the approximate twenty seconds for the Doctor to notice that someone other than whatever miserable humans they've brought along is there. (It's twenty point five two seconds but she's not counting). 

"Who are yo-oh." They frown as they say the words and the Master offers a halfhearted wave to the two humans standing off to the side as she walks further into the other TARDIS. It hums the closer she gets and she interprets it as a welcoming hum. "What are you doing here?"

"Humans are so complicated, aren't they?" she says instead of answering. She doesn't like to answer the Doctor's questions if she can help it because they always have more. "I always wondered why you were so fascinated with them, and I must admit, they do have their purposes but  _ gods _ are they annoying when they want to be. All those...pesky emotions and morals flying about. Honestly, I don't understand how you ever managed it."

The humans around the Doctor's console scoff, and the Master wonders if she's offended them in some way but the Doctor waves a hand with a shake of their head.

"She's just winding you two up," they say and turns to address them. "Why don't you see if you can track down that kitchen we lost last week? I've been meaning to find some of the tea that we kept in there. It's the best." They grin and the humans scurry off without much complaint, the younger looking one pausing for a moment before slipping down the corridor.

For the first time in ages, the master and the Doctor are alone. The moment the humans are gone, the Doctor's cheery tone dissipates along with their happy energy. 

"You're putting on quite the show for them," the Master says. "Loving the new body by the way. Didn't realize you'd changed again."

"Had a bit of time," they reply. "You've changed too. All the red?"

"You don't think it suits me?" the Master asks, spinning in a sharp circle to show off the crimson button down she's wearing. She's quite proud of it and it's become sort of a signature style for her. It's been weeks since Yasmin left, she's only now plucked up the courage to meet the Doctor, even if it is on her own terms. "I think I look great."

"What do you want?" the Doctor asks. "You never come around without reason and I can't even begin to fathom why my TARDIS let you waltz through the doors like you have any right to." 

"Aren't we best friends?" the Master asks. When the Doctor doesn't answer, she sighs, rounding the console before hopping up onto it, avoiding any important levers and buttons as she does so. Her legs don't reach the floor and it's more than a little annoying. "Fine, fine, you're right. I did come here for a reason."

"What is it?" 

"I...I may have been tampering a bit with your future," the Master says and the Doctor starts to say something but she holds up a hand. "Nothing serious, I promise. I mean, you've been managing just fine without her all this time, I'm sure it's nothing important." She waves a hand and the Doctor huffs quietly.

"Never met anyone who wasn't important," they say but nothing more. The Master takes it as a sign to continue, even if she is a little more careful about it. No matter what body they're in, the Doctor always seems so testy about these sorts of things. 

"Anyway, my TARDIS decided it would be a great idea to make sure I never left earth without taking this human aboard. So I did and...we had a few adventures here and there, nothing major." She leans back against the central column, sighing as hse does so. "And then she had to go and be all  _ human _ and catch feelings.."

"What does that mean?" the Doctor asks and the Master glares at them.

"What do you think?" she snaps. "She declared her love for me like I was some other human that would return her affections." She scoffs and the Doctor smiles, they have the audacity to smile at her. "So of course she can't travel with me anymore, it would be far too dangerous. What if someone thought that I cared for her, that I would do anything in return for her safety. Do you know how compromised that would make most of my schemes? I wouldn't be able to do anything that I  _ want _ to do."

"And would that be such a bad thing?" the Doctor asks and chuckles when she glares at them. "I'm sorry, but you're overreacting. Whoever this person is, she'll get over her feelings soon enough. Or, knowing you, she'll end up dead on some distant planet. I don't know why you need advice from me?"

"I tried that already," the Master says. "You think I would come to you as a first option? My TARDIS isn't being any help, it seems fond of her for whatever bloody reason so I've no choice but to go to you for help. I wouldn't if I didn't have to but I don't want this to bother me anymore."

The Doctor gives her a knowing look and leans against the console next to where she is. She can't see their face but they're just close enough that she can get a small reading on their mind, what little bits they let through the cracks. It's not reassuring for her. 

"Have you considered," the Doctor says slowly, as if talking to a young child. "That you might care more than you're willing to admit? And that your TARDIS doesn't want you to get rid of this human because it feels like this is the best thing for your future."

"That's preposterous," the Master replies. "I do not-I have never even thought about-humans are not being that I concern my time with!" Her grip on composure is wavering, she can feel it slipping and it's so annoying. She glares at the Doctor as they laugh, looking over their shoulder. "Humans don't matter to me."

"This one obviously does," the Doctor says. "And I'm not sure why you're so adamant against saying that. It’s alright to form connections to people-”

“Humans are vastly inferior to us, Doctor,” the Master says. “You and I both know that, we've seen it-"

"That's something you believe," the Doctor says. "Not me. I travel with humans to remind me that I don't think like you, Master." They shake their head, push away from the console. "If you aren't going to take my thoughts or advice seriously, you can leave. I'm sure you've got something you need to sulk over, be it this human or one of your numerous schemes you're no doubt concocting."

The Master doesn't move however, just continues to sit on the TARDIS console and the Doctor makes no move to make her leave. They both know they couldn't even if they really wanted to, and eventually their humans come wandering back into the room, the older one holding two mugs of what the master can only presume is tea.

"Here ya go, Doc," the older one says and the younger one is eyeing her up. "Who's your friend?"

"Ryan, Graham, this is the Master," the Doctor says, taking the mug Graham handed to them with a small smile. It doesn't reach their eyes. "An old... a person I've known for a long time."

"I was their childhood best friend," the Master says. "And then we had...a bit of a falling out. Went our separate ways and occasionally meet again for tea." Sarcasm drenches her voice but the humans seem not to notice as the Doctor takes control of their half of the conversation once more.

"I don't understand why you're still here," the Doctor says and if the Master didn’t know any better, she’d say she’s irritated them.

"As I said, I need help dealing with a human. A human I stole from your timeline, so I'd assume you'd know best how to deal with her."

"I've never met her," the Doctor retorts. “I couldn’t possibly know how-”

"You have a type." 

“I do not have a type!”

“Young and pretty, Doctor. And Yasmin Khan fits the bill perfectly. Also a tendency to have disgustingly strong morals which, trust me, has been quite difficult to deal with.” She glances down at her nails and then back up at the Doctor. "I know you and I have never been on the best of terms, but I really do need your help. Could you take her?"

"I don't think she'd want to come with me," the Doctor says and the younger human-Ryan- is squinting at her. It's more than a little unnerving. "She's got you, hasn't she? And if she's sticking around, even though I assume you put her through her paces, then there's probably not going to be an easy way to get rid of her."

"Why is your human looking at me like that?" The Master nods towards Ryan, and he finally looks away. The Doctor also looks back at him, head tipped to the side. They seem slightly annoyed that she's sidtracked them one again but she can't bring it in herself to care.

"Ryan?"

"Sorry, you just-" he takes a deep breath and the Master rolls her eyes. Humans, so dramatic. "You mentioned Yasmin Khan. I went to primary school with someone named that."

"It might be the same person, Ryan," the Doctor says and the Master scoffs.

"Probably isn't though," she says. "Now, if you have any, proper advice, I'd love to hear it."

"Apologize," the Doctor says. "Because if you've had her see terrible things, do terrible things like I'm fairly certain you already have, she's not going anywhere. And if she does leave, then that's what you want. But you need to apologize because I'm sure you've done something wrong. You've always done something wrong."

"Quite the assumption for barely knowing any details," the Master grumbles, but it's only because she knows he's right. He has to be right. She's going to have to apologize to Yasmin Khan. And that thought should leave a bad taste in her mouth, should be something she's so reluctant to do that she never wants to think about it again. But, strangely enough, it settles in her like a weight, strong and persistent and doesn't tie her stomach up in knots.

There's a knowing look from the Doctor and the breath in her lungs leaves which a slight whoosh.

"Oh."

"Oh indeed," the Doctor says. "Now, I do believe you have an apology to make."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have one more chapter planned after this one and then it'll actually probably be done, with a slight possibility of more content for the universe because i'm really loving the entire vibe of this fic.


	4. arms too weak to climb but still too strong to let go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yaz finally gets to the bottom of what's been bothering the Master for so long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we made it to the final chapter!!

The Master waits for her call. She doesn't show up at Yaz's flat and doesn't text and the silence from her would be unnerving if Yaz wasn't so surprised at how in line with her wishes the Master is keeping. A couple days pass. Yaz goes to work, comes home, talks with her mum and her dad (Sonya doesn't talk much and if she does, it's always to mock her in some way or another) and then goes to bed. The routine is familiar and it settles her core.

It's the only settled part about her. 

Sometimes, when she has a moment to herself and her brain is allowed to process thoughts, Yaz remembers what happened while she was traveling. What she did. What the Master made her do. Her hands shake, her mind flashes back to standing there, pinned against the crumbling wall with the Master at her side. There's a phantom weight of the TCE in her hand and she trembles in remembrance. Then someone will touch her shoulder, someone at the station, her mum, and she's snapped out of her thoughts immediately.

Yaz dreams about the incident, too, of course, and the dreams are vivid, saturated and loud and she wakes up in a cold sweat, hairs at the back of her neck prickling. The memories haunt her, a phantom hovering behind her at all times and she half thinks that Najia is able to tell what's she done. Sometimes she looks at Yaz with so much understanding in her gaze that she has to look away.

After a week back on Earth, Yaz calls the Master. She can't help herself, reaching for the phone, dialing the number for the TARDIS. She stands in her room still dressed in her police uniform while waiting for the Master to pick up. It rings four times before it clicks and there's a long silence over the line.

"I think I'm ready for you to come back," Yaz blurts out when the silence becomes too much to bear. The Master huffs out a little chuckle. 

"How long have I been gone? How long as it been for you?" the Master asks and proper laughs when Yaz tells her just over a week. "That's too little time, Yasmin," the Master says. "You've barely lived a second without me, you need more time."

"I've taken the time I need to make my decision," Yaz retorts, gripping her phone as she begins to pace the room. There's a pause as she gathers her words and there's no sounds from the other end of the line. "I want to come back with you. Go back to traveling with you." The silence is deafening and for a few moments Yaz wonders if the Master is going to say anything, if she'd hung up on the other end before there's a laugh.

"You're going to come to regret that choice," says the Master and Yaz gives a huffy laugh of relief. "But I'm not going to be the one to dissuade you. If you're sure you want to come with me-"

"I want to," Yaz says, because if she lets the Master finish that sentence she might lose all her courage. "I want to keep traveling with you. I want to see more of the universe..." she pauses, trailing off for a moment before she speaks once more. "I want more of you."

The Master doesn't really say anything like that, promising to be by in the next day or so to pick her up before the line goes dead and Yaz is left, mid-step as she paces the room. Had she said the wrong thing? Had she completely ruined it? Would that have been such a bad thing?

Her mum calls her for dinner and she's pulled away from her thoughts rather forcibly. She leaves her phone on her bed, deciding that it would only prove a distraction. She wasn't some child, she could do without counting down the days until she saw the Master again. Couldn't she?

The next day passes excruiatingly slow, even more so due to the fact that Yaz has been given the day off. She's left to move around the flat, completing chores before finally wandering down to the shops in the hopes of clearing her head. She's reluctant to leave the flat at first (because if the Master shows up and finds her gone, she'll probably leave her there and her chances at the universe will be dashed completely) but eventually her mum shoos her out of the kitchen and even Sonya is giving her weird looks. The moment she gets outside, her thoughts start to clear a little bit, so she walks and walks and walks, past the shops and eventually to the train station.

That's where she turns back, willing to go that far but not stray far outside the limits of Sheffield. She'd rather not leave the Master to be with her family, not if she can help it.

When she gets back to the flat, there's no sign of the Master but the sun is starting to set. The Master hadn't given her an actual time frame, so to speak, but she'd been hoping...well she'd been hoping that she'd at least get to leave before sitting through another excruciatingly slow day. 

They have dinner and Yaz keeps glancing towards the door, waiting fo the knock that's sure to come. Najia doesn't say anything, and Sonya is too busy with her phone to make a note of it so Yaz is left alone for a good amount of time until finally Hakim asks if she's expecting anyone. After that, she doesn't looks towards the door in case anyone asks more questions. Dinner is over too slowly and then Yaz offers to do the washing up because the thought of sitting alone in her room for the rest of the evening or spending time in the living room with her parents isn't appealing.

She's halfway through the dishes piled up in the sink when the doorbell rings and she jumps, rushing towards it before anyone else can move. When she yanks it open, the Master is standing on the doorstep, fist poised to rap against the wood. Before the Master can do anything or say a word, Yaz lunges at her, throwing her arms about her shoulders and holding on with as much strength as she can muster. The Master stumbles back a couple paces, her hands hesitant when they come up to wrap around her waist but soon she's holding Yaz back equally as tight, if not tighter.

"Missed me, huh?" the Master practically purrs into her ear before she lets Yaz go, taking a few steps back. "Sorry I was late, had a couple more repairs to do on the TARDIS to get her ready for when we set off again. You know how testy she can get about being in top condition when it comes to us travelling."

"She just wants to keep me safe," Yaz replies and it's only then that the chill of the evening makes itself known, blowing across her upper arms, raising goosebumps across the skin. "Now let's get inside, it's cold out here."

"You humans and your pitiful biology," the Master says but there's no bite to the words, instead something Yaz could call fondness. She doesn't put a name to it, instead smiling at the Master as she walks into the Khan household. "Though you're quite warmer than my people which I assume has something to do with your susceptibility to cold."

Yaz narrows her eyes slightly at the Master, confused and more than a little worried. She's acting strange, almost kinder than when she'd dropped Yaz off days earlier. She briefly wonders how long it's been for her, how long the Master has been without her. 

"Are you alright?" she asks. The Master gives her a strange look before offering a tight smile, that doesn't quite reach her eyes but is as honest as she was expecting the Master to be.

"Perfectly fine," she says. "Now, if there's nothing you need from here, might I suggest we get moving? There's an entire universe waiting for us, Yasmin Khan. A whole universe and a whole time continuum, all available to you. You just have to say the word."

"I need to pack a bag," Yaz says because there's a few shirts she's been missing, replacements for ones ruined by the Master and their adventures. "And say goodbye to my mum and dad. They'll miss me if we're gone for more than a few hours."

"It'll be fine," the Master says but allows her to move past her, further into the flat. She lingers for a moment behind Yaz before her footsteps follow and Yaz smiles slightly to herself. "You've enjoyed your time back here then?"

"Not as much as I enjoy traveling, even if it brings a few moral crises," Yaz says and the Master goes quiet. Eventually, Yaz takes pity on her and reaches over to pat her on the arm. The Master shies away from the contact for a second before stilling and then leaning towards Yaz's touch. She doesn't put too much thought into it. "Don't worry. I forgive you."

"I wasn't asking for forgiveness," the Master mumbles but, like before, there's no bite to the words. Yaz doesn't ask about it this time, instead moving towards her bed to grab a small bag and start filling it with the clothes she wants to take with her. "But it was good for you, staying here for a little bit of time? Taking a break from everything?"

"I missed you," Yaz answers honestly and a sound almost like a growl comes from the Master. 

"You shouldn't have," the Master says and frustration starts to seep into her voice. "Traveling with me is going to kill you. Are you prepared to accept that?"

"I am," Yaz snaps. "And the fact that you seem to think I can't make decisions for myself-"

"I'm just saying you might want to consider what you're doing," the Master says, holding a hand up. "I've put you in danger before, intentionally or not, and I don't want you to think you'll be safe this time around. I'll do my best to keep us away from the thick of battle, the TARDIS hates the cleaning-" she grimaces and Yaz wonders briefly if the last part was added to keep up the perception that the Master doesn't care about her, "but I can't make any guarantees."

"You never have," Yaz replies, folding a few more of her shirts into her bag. "You never promised safety for me, never promised anything, really. I don't expect you to keep me safe, I can do that well enough." She turns to face the alien, squaring her shoulders as she meets her eyes. "You trusted me to come with you before, trust me now. I can handle it."

"As long as you know the risks," the Master says, stepping away. "Are you almost finished?"

"Just a few more things," Yaz replies, adding some other random bits, cold weather clothes, a few pairs of shoes, anything she can fit. Finally, she closes the bag and slings it over her shoulder, looking at the Master. "Alright, ready to go." She flashes a wide smile that the Master returns with only a tight grimace. 

"The TARDIS is quite a distance from here," she says as they move towards the door. "She didn't want to land too close for whatever reason, though I hope she'll be more cooperative." 

They wander back to the TARDIS together, and Yaz tries not to read too much into the times their hands brush. Eventually, the Master stops in front of a small, nondescript building. She opens the door, motions Yaz to go in first and the moment Yaz crosses the threshold into the dark interior of the console room, she feels completely at peace. Calm washes over her and she spins around to look at the Master who lingers for a moment. 

"It's great to be back," Yaz says, brushing a hand against a nearby column. The ship hums under her touch and Yaz feels warmth wash through her for a brief moment before she looks back at the Master. “So...where are we going first?”

“I’ve got a few planets to explore, if you’re up to it. We’ll be getting there before any humans’ ever heard of the place, or anyone else honestly. Or, if you’d rather have a bit of a jaunt through time, we can find some place to go.” She steps up to the console and looks back at Yaz. 

The Master looks natural there, hands braced against the console. She looks ready to move, poised for action and the confidence which graves her posture, her smile, is one that's been gone for such a long time that Yaz had forgotten what it looked like. Yaz takes her place then, a step behind the Master (it's a place she's familiar with, somewhere she's comfortable and the thought that she and the Master are finally falling back into the place where she belongs, where  _ they _ belong).

"Let's have these planets, then," Yaz says, pressing a hand to the Master's lower back. "Wherever you want to go. Just tell me what I need to dress for."

The Master looks over at her and throws down a lever. The TARDIS rumbled under their feet and Yaz held on for dear life. One hand on the Master's back, gripping onto her shirt and the other on the console holding tight to the metal railing that circles it, Yaz finds herself grinning even as the TARDIS rocks and rolls under their feet. It almost throws off her balance, almost sends her falling to the floor but then the Master’s free hand is gripping her arm, keeping her upright even as the alien reaches over and flips a few more switches.

When they finally land, the Master pulls away and Yaz misses her presence almost immediately. She’s not left hanging for long, a single kiss pressed to her cheek before the Master starts moving towards the door. Yaz’s bag has been tossed about and sits across the doorway, leaning against it and the Master glances at it for a moment before nudging it out of the way with her foot. 

Yaz follows her to the door, loyal to a fault.

“So where are we?” Yaz asks as she reaches the Master’s side and she pushes the door open, motioning for Yaz to go first. Her first step outside of the TARDIS is hesitant as it always is.

“A planet called Savra,” the Master says. “This is before any kind of colonization has occurred here, by any species.” The Door to the TARDIS falls closed behind her and Yaz takes in the planet with wide eyes. “Most of the native species here are fairly small, at least where we’ve landed. As far as I know, no threat of any kind of disaster or danger befalling us. Just pleasant forests and fields as far as we're concerned." The smile she flashes Yaz is bright and for a moment their history falls away and it's just the two of them, here on this wonderful planet, together. 

Yaz would almost call it romantic.

They stroll through the blue tinted fields that the TARDIS had landed them in, Yaz taking a few moments to look down at the plants and see how they differed from those back on Earth. It was one of her favorite things to do, look at the plants and see how alien they could be. The Master slows at her side everytime Yaz stops to look at the flowers and eventually, she reaches down and plucks one from the ground. Yaz looks up in shock as the Master offers it to her with a lopsided smirk.

"No one will know," she says and Yaz knows that's not a good reason for doing something, she really does, but when the Master looks at her like that, she can't refuse her anything. So she takes it from the Master's hand and their fingers brush and they've  _ kissed,  _ done so much together but even the slight brushing of their fingers is enough to send a spark of electricity up her spine. 

The Master smirks like she knows what she's done. 

Yaz slips the flower through her hair and smirks at the Master as she audibly swallows before they continue their walk through the fields. Two can play that game. 

By the time they reach the forest, the TARDIS is a blip in the distance, almost blocked out by the sun and that should worry Yaz more than it does. Instead, she looks to the Master, at the light filtering through the trees and plunges into the forest. It's cooler in the shade of the trees and Yaz watches in wonder as strange looking birds filter through the branches, flying in every direction. They sing songs she's never heard before but resonate through her chest as if she'd been listening to them her whole life. 

There are more flowers littering the ground, and tall brush and shrubs and there's not an unnatural sound in the area. The Master doesn't say much, occasionally pointing to a plant and telling Yaz what would be there in the future or telling her about it and surrounding species but she seems keen to walk in silence with her and that's all Yaz can ever ask for. 

They reach a clearing, dotted with wildflowers, where the sun breaks through the cover of the tree and washes the blue grass in light. Here they stop and Yaz is about to ask what's wrong, why they've paused their journey when the Master gives her the most vulnerable look Yaz has ever seen her wear.

"I had an ulterior motive in bringing you here," she says and icy dread clenches in Yaz's stomach, holds it in a vice grip. The Master seems to sense her panic as she rushes to continue, an uncertain look in her eyes. "Not-not a terrible one. I don't know if I would call it good but it wasn't anything terrible." She gathers herself, looks Yaz in the eyes and for the first time since they've landed, Yaz feels unsettled. "I brought you here...well, as an apology of sorts." She motions around at the clearing and the woods around them. "This planet is completely uninhabited, as untouched as I could manage to find something without going back to the dawn of time before life had even arisen."

"I don't-" Yaz begins but the Master continues like she'd never even spoken.

"I know what I did to you, what I made you do, was unacceptable by human standards. And while I believe it was in your best interest, in the name of pushing you away from me, I recognize that you...that it might have been cruel." She sighs, pulling her hand from Yaz's and rubbing the back of her neck. "Cruel was my intention. I do not wish to disguise that fact. I realize now it was not a noble intention but rather selfish and I-"

"I've already forgiven you," Yaz says, cutting her off. "Back at my flat, when I said I forgave you, I meant it." She laughs, grabbing the Master's other hand and linking their fingers together. "You were a right arse, but I expected nothing else from you."

The Master swallows thickly and looks away, down at the grass. Yaz can't blame her, she knows the Master isn't very good with feelings, hasn't been in the time that she's known her. Then the Master is looking back up at her and unlinks their hands only to cup her cheek and kiss her sweetly. It's so gentle Yaz almost doesn't believe that it’s the Master kissing her, but the hand cradling her cheek and the other linked through hers keep her grounded in where she is. Who she's with. 

Yaz can barely breathe as the Master fills her senses. The absolute care she's taking, how gentle her touch is as her hand moves from Yaz's cheek to her hair, threading through it with what Yaz can only reverence, it settles into Yaz's stomach and warms her entire core. Eventually the Master pulls away. It's far too soon, but Yaz knows realistically they can't stay there forever, no matter how much she might wish it. The Master's hands fall away from her and Yaz is left untethered, drifting for ages until the alien clears her throat. 

"We'd best get going," she says and they wander back and hope flutters like a bird in Yaz's chest. Things might finally be changing.

Six months pass.

Six cruel months of the Master barely offering more than a guiding hand or a steadying hand or helping hand. It's like it was before, when Yaz confessed her love, but somehow sharper and more painful. It's a hot and cold game that Yaz doesn't want to play but she's trapped between the wonders of the universe and a woman, a wonder of the universe herself, who has Yaz by the collar of her shirt and seems to hold her there just to watch her squirm.

And it's not all bad, they explore and Yaz sees more of the universe than she had before. Their manic pace never slows, and the only thing that's really different is the lack of danger in whatever place they land. They're always far out from civilization whether temporally or spatially and the Master seems content with it. Seems content with the slow strolls and the cave explorations and the gazing at nebulas. She doesn’t say much though, and Yaz starts to wonder if she’s done the wrong thing, choosing to come back to the Master like this. She seems to be doing more harm than good.

She stands six months of it before she can't any longer. Yaz tries her best, she really does, but the Master makes it almost impossible, leaving the console room room the moment they get back from an adventure. She leaves Yaz to sit there, staring after her as she wanders away and Yaz can't help the way her heart clenches in her chest each time it happens. 

"I want to go back to Sheffield," she says one day while they're standing around the console, the Master programming a destination into the ship with practiced ease. She looks up at Yaz, head cocked to the side and the movements of her fingers cease. Yaz takes a deep breath. "Not permanently I just..." she trails off, unable to muster the words that stay in the pit of her stomach. "I need time to be with my family. it's been a little while since I've seen them and I miss them a bit." It's only a half lie and that makes Yaz feel a bit better about it. Not much though. 

"Of course, of course," the Master says and then she resumes entering coordinates, doing it faster if that's even possible. Yaz watches her fingers move across the array of switches and buttons and levers and she wonders if the Master is trying to go quickly to get her out of the TARDIS. "Didn't realize you would want to go back home, I thought you were-"

"I'm coming back," Yaz says. "I just...I need a break. Seeing the universe is wonderful, it really is, but my human brain can only take so much." She hates the subtle dig at herself, normally wouldn't use it, but the Master is acting strangely again, stranger than she has been which is certainly a feat, and Yaz doesn't know how to deal with it. How to deal with her. 

"Right," the Master says, voice distant and Yaz sighs. She won't get it out of her this time and maybe when she comes back they can finally address what it is that's been bugging the Master for so long. 

When she throws the lever, the trip is short and the TARDIS barely moves besides a slight rock. The thud of landing is muffled and Yaz wonders if the TARDIS is making it so they can barely hear her, making it so the trip is easy. The Master's hands leave the console and she looks to the doors. Yaz follows her gaze and for a moment regret washes over her. how did she think she could just leave like this? They've barely spoken about anything and Yaz suddenly longs for the Master's lips against her own again. It wouldn't improve anything, not really but it would make her feel a bit better.

"Walk me up to my flat?" Yaz asks, because she's never been good at tempering her desires. The Master's smirk doesn't reach her eyes and Yaz wants to scream. 

"Of course," the Master says. "Do you want to take a bag of clothes or-"

"It'll only be for a few days," Yaz says. It's then that she can't help it and she reaches out, drawing a hand down the Master's arm. The alien shivers under the touch and Yaz smiles to herself. "I'm coming back. I promise."

"Right," the Master says and her voice is distant again but her eyes are focused on Yaz's face, taking in the details like it's the last time she'll see her. "Up to your flat, then." 

They walk and their hands brush and Yaz can almost make herself believe that things are like they were so long before. She can almost imagine the Master's hand hers, pulling her along to the next adventure. A dream it may be, but Yaz takes whatever comfort she can from it. When they reach her doorstep, Yaz's arms are covered in goosebumps, a cool wind driving any warmth from the TARDIS out of her bones.

"You'll come in for tea?" Yaz asks as she fishes about in her pockets for her keys. Why hadn't she done that sooner? Probably too preoccupied with the Master. 

"I thought-"

"I don't want a break from  _ you _ ," Yaz says because even though that's what she should want, she doesn't want it, she can't want it. "Just the traveling. The non-stop movement." She finally locates her keys, buried deep in her pocket and she pulls them out with a triumphant smile. "Now c'mon, I know you have a soft spot for those biscuits even if you don't want to admit it."

The key slides into the lock with ease and Yaz opens the door, tossing a perfunctory "I'm home!" before walking further into the flat so the Master can follow after her. Someone's bustling about in the kitchen, and Yaz adds a "Brought company!" to accompany her greeting. Might as well warn whoever's in there that someone else is in the house.

There's a loud clatter and an even louder clang from the kitchen, which almost disguise the gasp that comes. A strange reaction but before Yaz can question it, her mum comes rushing out of the kitchen, rounding the corner so quickly Yaz is scared she's going to run into her. 

"Hey, mum, what's the rush?" Yaz asks, reaching a hand out to steady Najia when she's pulled into a crushing hug. Her arms flail for a moment, startled before she hesitantly returns it. 

"It's really you," Najia says and Yaz can feel the Master's gaze on the back of her head. She's certain the alien can see the gears turning in her brain. 

"Mum..." Yaz trails off for a moment, unable to speak. Her mum finds her voice before Yaz can.

"Where have you been, Yasmin?" Najia asks. "We were worried sick about you, we thought you'd died somewhere. They said after a year it wasn't likely you'd come back-"

"A  _ year _ ?" Yaz's heart stops in her chest and her breath stutters in her lungs and she can hear the Master behind her, feels her hand coming to Yaz's shirt. It holds the fabric there and doesn't let go.

Najia finally manages to get her navigated to one of the chairs in the living room and the Master settles next to her, their shoulders pressed together, thigh, hips, the entire left side of her body is touching the Master. There's plenty of space on the couch for them to sit separately but the Master is grounding her, keeping her in one place and seems to realize this. Her fingers lace through Yaz's and the contact is welcome. 

"You just disappeared," Najia is explaining when Yaz comes back to herself. Her mum is talking to her but the Master is nodding along, agreeing with whatever she's saying. "There one evening gone the next. At first we thought you'd been called another on another secondment but then you didn't come back. And your bag was gone." Yaz can't look her mum in the eye, can't muster the strength, the bravery. 

A year. 

"I'm sorry I-" She can't really explain it, can she? How does she say that she's been off traveling time and space, that it's really only been about six months for her and that the woman next to her is the one that makes all of it possible. The woman next to her is the  _ cause _ of all of this whether she wants to admit it or not and that would probably send Najia for her though. "I can't say where I went."

"Yasmin," her mum's tone is pleading and Yaz almost gives in, almost tells her everything but then the Master shifts and whether she can tell Yaz's thoughts or not it doesn't matter because it reminds her the other woman is right there and really doesn't deserve the wrath of her mother. When Yaz says nothing, Najia sighs and looks down at her hands. "I don't know where you went or why you went, but we missed you. All of us. If you can't tell me what happened, that's alright, you've probably been through a lot but-"

"She's been traveling with me, Mrs. Khan," the Master says, cutting off her mother. Her voice is different and resigned and the guilt swirling in her stomach is replaced for a brief moment with surprise. The Master...sticking up for her? "It was very short notice and I know we should have said something but-" The Master doesn't get to finish her sentence before her mum is leaning across the short space and her hand has connected with the Master's cheek.

The sound spurs Yaz into action and she lurches forward to stop her mum from hurting her...from hurting the Master, but the Master's hand against her hip moves across her stomach to keep her from moving too far. The meaning of the action is clear but that doesn't mean Yaz has to like it. When she looks back at her mum, Najia's face is tight with anger and she stares at the Master with all the fury she seems capable of.

"You should think very carefully about what you say to me next," Najia says.

" _ Mum, _ " Yaz says but the glare turns to her. 

"Don't, Yasmin," Najia shakes her head and for a moment Yaz can swear she sees them mist over. "I spent so long thinking you were  _ dead _ and you showed up on the doorstep with this-this woman who none of us really know. And you were just traveling? Why didn't you call?"

"Mrs. Khan, it's complicated," the Master begins again but another slap shuts her up almost immediately. She holds her cheek and grimaces and Yaz swallows the urge to reach up and check her cheek for her, just in case she's actually hurt. "Mrs. Khan, please-"

"You took my daughter from me," Najia says and the venom in her voice is strong enough that Yaz winces. She'd been on the receiving end of that tone only a few times in her childhood and each time it felt like her mum was verbally tearing her to ribbons. "Who are you anyway? We've met, what, one time and suddenly my daughter leaves with you for a year and we don't hear a word about it."

"It was actually 6 months, Mrs. Khan," the Master says and then, a little quieter, "I must have gotten the dates confused." She looks down at her hands as Yaz grumbles next to her. Ahead of them, Yaz's mum looks more confused than she had before.

"What do you mean, 6 months?" She asks and Yaz winces. "I know how long my daughter has been gone...."

"James, James Smith," The Master says and Yaz shoots her a surprised look. "And it's really very complicated, Mrs Khan, I don't know if I can explain-"

"You're taking my daughter's life into your hands," Najia retorts. "You  _ will  _ explain."

And that's how Yaz finds herself pressed against the Master's side with the alien telling her mum the abridged events of their meeting and adventures (namely the coincidental meetings and the untouched planets, Yaz doesn't know if her mum could handle the details of how they met or the nature of so many of their adventures). Najia doesn't say much, which is surprising, and instead listens as the Master explains. She only asks questions, most of which the Master deflects with ease. If Yaz didn't know better, she’d have said the Master had done this before. 

"-but time travel?" Najia is saying as Yaz mentally reenters the conversation. "I'm not sure I can believe it. I don't know if I can believe any of it if I'm honest."

"Yasmin didn't either, when I told her about who I was, what I do," the Master says and Yaz catches a hint of fondness in her tone. As if she can feel Yaz's eyes on her, the Master turns to look at her. "But I'm afraid I have other things to attend to. Mrs. Khan, Yasmin." 

Then she's standing and she's leaving and Yaz doesn't want to be like a petulant child but she can't help but hold onto the Master's sleeve for a moment, fingers caught in the fabric in a desperate bid for the Master to stay. Najia tuts from her chair but says nothing.

"I'll be back, don't worry," the Master says, seemingly heedless of Yaz's mum being right  _ there.  _ "Call me when you're ready to start traveling again."

And then she's gone, walking out the door without so much as another word and Yaz misses her the moment she's gone. The Master may not love her back, but Yaz's feelings haven't finished since her confession.

"Is she really an alien?" Najia asks and Yaz nods absently, drawing a sympathetic "Oh Yasmin" from her mother, like having the Master in her life is something to pity. 

"She's the best person I've ever met," Yaz says and that statement is no less true than when she muttered it all that time ago. "I'm in love with her, mum."

"A blind fool could tell that, Yasmin," Najia says. "And though there's no telling how dangerous traveling with her might be, I can't stop you." She smiles sadly. "All I can ask is that you're safe. As safe as you can be."

"I'll do my best, mum," Yaz says as Najia pulls her into another hug. "And it's not like I'm leaving forever. Hopefully this sort of thing will never happen again. I plan on not waiting a year to visit next."

"She said it was six months for you," Najia says and Yaz sighs. “Did you even think about us? Did you even think about calling?”

“I did mum, I swear,’ Yaz says. “It’s just...our traveling was pretty hectic. One minute we were on one planet the next, on another halfway across the universe. I didn’t have time, I was either out with her or sleeping or eating.” She rubs the back of her neck. She knows that she should have called her mum, should have made sure she knew she was safe even if it was a simple text. That had been her mistake but she couldn’t fix it. 

Before Najia could say anything, the door opens and closes again, and a shuffle of footsteps comes from the hall. Yaz is set on edge immediately, straightening, and when Sonya rounds the corner, her face pinches in surprise and then her mouth falls open and she looks at Yaz with such sadness it makes her chest hurt. 

"You came back?" Sonya's voice is barely over a whisper and Yaz can only nod. Sonya drops a bag onto the floor (Najia gives a perfunctory tut in scolding but neither of the sisters can pay attention to it) and rushes towards Yaz. She's ready this time for the crushing hug and though the affection is uncharacteristic when it comes to her sister, Yaz sinks into the hug with a small sigh. "You're back." The words are whispered in her ear and only Yaz can hear them but they still bring tears to her eyes. How could they not?

When Sonya pulls away, she immediately reaches up to brush the tears from her own eyes, sniffling quietly as she regards Yaz a touch more warily than she had before.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asks and Yaz gives a noncommittal shrug.

"It's a long story," Yaz says and when she can see her sister is about to protest, she holds up a hand. "I will explain, I promise." She looks back at her mum then. "But I'm exhausted. I'm going to get a bit of sleep."

"Your room is just as you left it," Najia says and the pang of guilt that flashes through her is almost too much to bear. She manages a nod before retreating to her room, lungs already starting to tighten. A whole year. A whole goddamned year. 

"Can't ever trust the TARDIS," Yaz whispers to her empty room and the words bounce back at her almost tauntingly. She shakes off the feeling of utter despondency that settles over her and flops onto her bed, fitful sleep overtaking her quickly.

The knock at her window is unexpected and it rouses her from the half in half out sleep she'd fallen into. A gentle tap turns into a steady knock which turns quickly into banging until Yaz is rolling over (she's still in her jacket, in her shoes and she feels proper disgusting for that fact) stumbling over to the window to flip the latch and let in whoever's on the other side. She's not that smart when she's half asleep.

The Master tumbles headfirst through her window onto the floor, landing in a heap at Yaz's feet and nothing seems wrong at first, just the Master, in a tangle of limbs, face and arms coated in blood-hold on.

"Why are you-"

"Don't ask," the Master growls and the words have a bite that Yaz hasn't heard for ages. "I just need to wash up-"

"And the TARDIS wasn't good enough for that?" Yaz asks even as she helps the Master to her feet. A bit of the blood gets on her and it occurs to Yaz that it has to be fresh and she honestly should be recoiling but she just...doesn't. "You're an absolute mess, you know that."

"Of course I know that," the Master snaps and before Yaz can stop her, she's running her hand through her hair, coating the blonde strands in copper. Yaz winces and the Master seems to realize what she's done a few moments too late. She looks at her hand, a bit sheepish but there's an edge of frustration to her movements, a hint of a snarl tugging at her lips. Something is  _ wrong _ and Yaz doesn't know how to ask, how to give the Master help that she may not even want. "I just-" She cuts herself off and the words seem to get lodged in her throat. Yaz can't blame her, she can't summon words herself. "It wasn't a fun time, being gone."

"How long were you gone?" Yaz asks. "It's just been a few hours for me-"

"About four weeks, give or take a couple days. A little hard to keep track." And it's then that Yaz notices the way the Master's shirt hangs off her, scraps missing from it and the material that's still there is either soaked in blood or crusty with dried blood and the pieces are starting to click together but she's still not got the whole picture. "And it didn't even work." The last part is muttered and Yaz wonders if she was even supposed to hear it but heard it she has and another piece falls into place. She's so close.

"What didn't work? What were you trying to do?" When the Master doesn't answer and moves to brush past her, brush her off like she always does when the things get a little too emotional. Yaz doesn't let her this time, grabbing her wrist. She barely feels the blood. "Talk to me, for god's sake. I know that you don't think I can handle it but I'm still here. I've been here the whole time and you-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Yasmin," the Master says and she starts to move once more but Yaz doesn't let her go. "Let me go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Yaz says. "you've been acting so strange recently and this is just-you've come to my flat, covered in blood and you're asking if you can use my shower. And then what, we'll go off again and act like you haven't been avoiding me for the last six months? Like there's something you aren't telling me, that you can't tell me for some reason?" She takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself for just a moment. She's getting too emotional and the Master doesn't respond well to being emotional. "If you're going to keep giving me this...this could shoulder treatment, I can't do it anymore. I can't travel with you."

"Yasmin..." the Master trails off her fists clench, her entire face pinching for a moment and she looks to be in so much pain Yaz has to wonder if the blood that's soaking her clothes is her own blood, that she needs medical help. But then the Master's eyes open and she looks so resigned but still so frustrated and angry. Though Yaz doesn't want to ascribe the word helpless... it fits.

"It's you, Yasmin," she says eventually, her words quiet. "No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, you're always there in my brain. I can't stop thinking about you. I've tried so hard to get rid of you, here and in my head and you never go." She looks so pained that Yaz feels a dash of sympathy as the Master seems to fall in on herself, those shoulders always squared with confidence sinking forward. "I can't even do what I love to do anymore, I can't go and overthrow a government or mess about with the time stream or dabble in a bit of battle without noticing how you aren't there, how you should be there."

"I don’t..." Yaz murmurs but it's like the Master doesn't even hear her. 

"This wouldn't have happened if the TARDIS hadn't brought me to you, if you hadn't been so damn stubborn and made sure you stuck by me no matter what." She laughs and it’s an unhinged sound and no matter how Yaz wants to take a step back, she feels that she can't. That if she leaves now the Master won't have anything to keep her grounded. "I've said so many times how I don't care, how I can't care because you're a human but I can't keep lying anymore." She shakes her head and looks up at Yaz. When their eyes meet, there's resignation, that frustration, the helplessness and a little bit of something else in those eyes. "I care far too much."

Yaz thinks she's going to cry with the way her voice wobbles but then her blood slickened hands cup her face and bring her in for a kiss, deep and slow and if Yaz had thought her apology had been heated, she clearly didn't know the meaning of the word. And she's thought it so many times but it's true each time, and this kiss is so different and it tastes of resignation (and a bit of blood) but also of love and warmth floods Yaz's chest, nearly sweeping her off her feet. Her heart rate skyrockets as the Master deepens the kiss, seems to feel the need to fill Yaz's head, every one of her senses. Yaz lets her because there's nothing else to do but be swept along in the current.

When the Master finally pulls away, Yaz can barely breathe and their foreheads knock together. Yaz looks into those hazel depths and everything is gone but love and she sighs.

"I love you," she says and the Master kisses her again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not the last that will be seen of this particular incarnation of w!master and yaz. obviously this story grew a lot beyond the initial prompt i was given and it's really become it's own little thing. which is why this is going to become a little unfinished side project for me. i've got some ideas for some one shots that i'll connect through a series (just because i want this wrapped up and a good entry point for the universe) on here which will probably shorter than this fic.
> 
> alongside the one shots i come up with i'll also be accepting prompts that take place in this universe (what better way to pay homage to the prompt that started it all?) so if that's something that appeals to you head over to my blog ( [@joanwolfe](https://joanwolfe.tumblr.com/) ) and send me an ask! 
> 
> anyway that's it for me guys, so stay safe and wash your hands
> 
> ~~jo

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr [@joanwolfe](https://joanwolfe.tumblr.com/)


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